Rosel
by amberhathaway
Summary: Boromir/OC! Rosel lives in a small village outside of Rivendell, but after discovering her mother's secrets, she runs away. Now faced with the consequences of her actions, will she fight for those she loves, or run away once more?
1. Escaping

"Rosel! Please come take Raina and Bellasiel. Raina will not stop crying and Bellasiel is bored!" My mother called down the hallway. I was standing in our small kitchen, washing the dishes. I sighed and stoped doing my chores so I could go to the nursery. "There you are Rosel! I need to go to the market. Amoniel is still asleep in her room and she will not be up for another hour or so. Please keep a close eye on Bellasiel - she feels adventurous today. Also try and get Raina to sleep. She has not rested for a while, so I don't know if she will. Well I must go, bye Rosel," my mother said, and bustled out the door.

I held my newest sister, Raina in my arms while Bellasiel clung to my leg. Bellasiel was five and Raina was not quite yet one. Amoniel was seven and was not quite old enough to help with Bellasiel and Raina, but she helped clean.

I walked into the den and sat down with Raina still in my arms screaming, and crying. Bellasiel was demanding my attention, so I tried to calm them both. I could tell Raina was hungry, but since my mother was gone, I could not feed her. I was not going to put Raina in her crib just so I could entertain Bellasiel. I also had to clean our small home.

I tried to sing Raina a lullaby, but she would not stop crying. Bellasiel had started chewing on the seat and I was trying to pull her off when I heard a knocking at the front door. I almost screamed in frustration. I ran my free hand through my red curls, sighed, stood up with Bellasiel attached to my leg and Raina in my arms.

I opened the door and I saw nine people staring at me. Four were very short, one a Dwarf, an Elf, a Wizard, and two men.

'_A very odd company,' _I thought.

The Company looked at me strangely and I knew what they were thinking. They thought the infant I was carrying and the child clinging to me were my children. "No, no, no! These are my little sisters!" I exclaimed, understanding how they thought that. A young woman answers the door with two screaming children, looking like she is going to stab you - that is like any young mother.

The Company looked almost relieved when Amoniel appeared next to me. She tugged on my dress and said, "Sister, who are these people?"

I saw several in the company smile. "I do not know. Amoniel presents an excellent question, who are you?"

The wizard began to speak. "My company and I seek aid. We are in need of some provisions if you can spare them."

"My mother just went to the market, I am sure we have food to spare and I know we have blankets. Come in." I said, over Raina's crying.

We all entered my small home. To my relief, our guests entertained Bellasiel and Amoniel. "What will I do with you Raina?" I asked her, smiling. Crying was her only reply. "I know you're hungry, but mother isn't here. Can you please stop crying?" I begged. Raina only cried more, and finally, I began to cry.

_**Boromir's Point of View **_

We entered the small village, which was full of people walking in the street. Gandalf said we needed more provisions before continuing our quest. Therefore, we went to look for the nearest house. "There!" Pippin called.

"Do not say your names. We do not know if they are spies. We are taking an enormous risk by doing this, but it must be done." Gandalf explained. We walked to the frond door and Aragorn knocked. We could hear a baby crying inside.

A young woman answered the door, holding the crying baby with a small child attached to her leg. My first thought was that she was the mother of these children, but she seemed too young. She must have understood what the company and I was thinking, because she said(,) "No, no, no! These are my little sisters!" I almost sighed in relief.

She was very tired. There were dark bags under her brilliant blue eyes, and her red curls were tangled in a huge knot. I instantly pitied her if she was responsible for raising her siblings.

Another girl ran to the door and tugged on her sister's dress. "Sister, who are these people?" I smiled at the small blonde girl.

"I do not know." She turned toward us. "Amoniel presents an excellent question, who are you?"

Gandalf said, "My Company and I seek aid. We are in need of some provisions if you can spare them."

The young woman turned down a hallway with the infant, leaving her younger sisters to entertain us. "I am Amoniel and this is Bellasiel!" the small blond girl said, pointing to her little sister. The two girls were both blonde and shared the same blue eyes their older sister did.

The sisters showed us to the den, we all took a seat, and the small girls tried to find their older sister. Finally, the red haired girl came out of the hallway with her sisters. She had bloodshot eyes and was still carrying the crying infant. She smiled weakly and began to speak. "I am sorry I did not introduce myself. I am Rosel and this is Raina." She motioned to the baby. "Unfortunately, because I only have one hand I cannot get the blankets right now but—"

"I can hold her," I volunteered.

Rosel looked surprised at my offer. "She bites," Rosel warned, and handed me Raina. I smiled as she ran down another hallway.

"It's true. I have a scar from were Raina bit me. She is mean!" Amoniel said. Everyone laughed. Bellasiel told a similar story, when Rosel came back with some blankets. She set the blankets down on the low table and held her arms out for Raina.

"Its fine, I can hold her longer, she has not bit me," I said.

"Yet," she said bluntly. "Its fine, I can hold her." I smiled and handed Raina to her. "So where are you travelling to?" she asked.

"Mor—" Aragorn put his hand over Pippin's mouth.

"Gondor! It really is a beautiful place!" Aragorn exclaimed.

Rosel gave us a strange look. "Have you been there before?" she asked.

"Some of us have," Aragorn stated simply.

Rosel nodded and smiled. "Tell me about it!" she exclaimed, excited.

"Yes!" Amoniel exclaimed as well, sitting next to Bellasiel. All three pairs of blue eyes stared at us excited. I saw Rosel had some energy left in her eyes. Aragorn began to describe Minas Tirith, when whom I assumed to be the girls' mother, walked through the door with some food and other things.

She stared at us strangely. "Who are—?"

"Mother! Please feed Raina she has not stopped crying! I believe she is hungry." Rosel interrupted her mother. Her mother set down the bags with food in them and took Raina from Rosel's hands.

_**Rosel's Point of View **_

I felt relieved as my mother took Raina from my arms. She took Raina into the nursery, muttering something about me being crazy. I got up, walked into the kitchen and looked inside the bags. I pulled out several fruits, some bread, and put it into a separate bag. "Here you are. It may not get you far," I said, handing them the bag.

"Nevertheless, we are grateful. Thank you for your time and thank you for the provisions," the Wizard said.

I smiled. "You are welcome. Are you leaving now or would you like to stay?"

"I am afraid we must go. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Goodbye then. I hope you enjoy Gondor!" I escorted them out the door. As soon as they left, my mother came out of the nursery no longer holding Raina. "Who were they?" she asked.

"Just some travellers. They wished for some provisions, if we could spare them and we could. I gave them some food and blankets." She nodded and went back into the nursery with my sisters following. I took my chance to get some sleep and went into the room, which my sisters and I shared. I laid down on the bed and shut my eyes for a few moments of peace.

Two hours later, I heard screaming around the house. "Rosel! Rosel! Where are you?" I heard my mother scream in fear. I sat up on my bed and stretched. My mother swung my door open looking terrified. All three of my sisters were at her side crying. "We must leave the village now!" my mother exclaimed.

"What is happening?" I asked, alarmed.

"Orcs have attacked the village! We must leave now!" my mother exclaimed, holding Raina. I grabbed a small dagger, strapped it to my belt and picked up Bellasiel. Amoniel held my hand and we all sprinted into the stable.

"How are we to take Raina?" I inquired, terrified that my newest sister may not have a way to escape.

"Take her to Edoawien's! His family has a hideout and we shall come back for her."

I nodded quickly. I took Raina and held her close to my chest. I ran through the streets to Edoawien's house. I saw people running and screaming through the street as I sprinted. As soon as I arrived, I burst through the door and found Edoawien gathering her family. "Edoawien, we must escape but cannot take Raina. Can you please care for her until we return?" I asked out of breath from my sprint.

"Yes child. Now go! Take our horse, Adraorien. You must leave this place!" she ordered, taking Raina from my arms.

I sprinted to their stable and quickly saddled Adraorien. I mounted the horse and rode back to my house to pick up my sisters. My mother handed me Bellasiel; I placed her in front of me and I put Amoniel behind me. "Mother, where are you going?" I asked, worried.

"I will meet you back here. I have decided to go to Edoawien's as well. Come back soon!" she said. Her blue eyes looked sad.

I nodded. "We will be back in two days time."

"I shall see you then." She handed me a small bag of food, then smacked Adraorien's rump and the horse took off sprinting. We rode out of the village and into the woods, with my sisters crying the whole way.

After we rode for two hours, we came to a halt. I helped Amoniel down and handed Bellasiel to her before I dismounted. "Okay, we should make a fire. See if you can find some small sticks and make a pile." I instructed my siblings. They were still crying, but they did as I said. I found some larger sticks, and broke some off the dead trees. As soon as I made the woodpile, I began striking two rocks together. Once the fire started, I passed out our food to my sisters. They ate it gratefully in silence.

Suddenly we heard voices ahead of us. "Who goes there?" I heard a familiar voice call.

I grabbed my small dagger and got in front of my sisters. "I live in the village near by. It was raided by Orcs. We ran to the forest for refuge. We mean no harm." I replied, shaking as I clutched the dagger in case these people were not so kind.

Finally, they made their appearance. It was the company from earlier today. They looked shocked. "What happened?" the wizard asked.

"Orcs are raiding the village. We had to escape. My mother and Raina are at our neighbor's home. They are safe, I believe. I had to take Amoniel and Bellasiel and escape though."

They all looked horrified. "You must move. They are after us."

"What? What is happening?" I asked, confused.

"Those Orcs knew we were in the village, and they will follow us here. We must move with haste."

I was too shocked to say anything. Instead, I put Bellasiel and Amoniel on top of Adraorien, and stamped out the small fire.

The elderly man nodded. "Very well, we must move." I lead Adraorien and followed them.

The man who had held Raina earlier walked beside me. I felt nervous being near him, but I talked to him. "So you never told me your names. In fact, no one did. All I know is that you are heading to Gondor."

He nodded. "You have proven that we can trust you. I am Boromir. The Wizard is Gandalf. The Elf is Legolas and the Dwarf is Gimli. The other man is Aragorn. The hobbits names are Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin."

"I see. I have never even heard of a hobbit." I smiled.

"Sister what is a hobbit?" Amoniel asked.

I turned to Boromir. "Care to tell her?"

Boromir smiled and pointed to one. "That is a hobbit, child."

Amoniel and Bellasiel looked intrigued even though they had already met. I giggled at their expressions.

"Now tell me something about you. Why are your names Elvish if you are human?"

"Our father was an Elf. He is dead though. He died just after Raina was born. Killed by Orcs. My mother has just started recovering. I do not even know if Bellasiel remembers him. I know Amoniel does, but we don't speak of him much." Boromir nodded. I was glad that my sisters did not hear the question though. It would upset them further.

We stayed quiet the rest of the trek. When Gandalf announced we could stop, I picked up Bellasiel and set her on the ground, same with Amoniel. Bellasiel looked up at me. "When are we going to see mother again?" she asked sadly.

The question almost brought tears to my eyes. "I don't know Bells. I do not know. I do know that we are safe with these people, though." I squatted down to her eye level. "I love you," I told her.

Bellasiel threw her arms around me. "I love you too sister!" she exclaimed.


	2. What Ring?

My sisters and I curled up together, but I could not sleep. It was too cold and we were not allowed to light a fire because it would attract attention. Everyone in the company seemed to have a cloak, but my sisters and I were in such a hurry to escape, we did not even think of it.

I felt Amoniel's and Bellasiel's steady breathing next to my body as I tried to sleep. I was beyond tired and I could not even shut my eyes without thinking that an Orc was going to sneak up and stab all twelve of us. It was terrified tremendously.

Legolas was on watch. "You must try to sleep; we have a long way to travel tomorrow, Lady Rosel," he said, just loud enough for me to hear.

"I am too scared. I keep thinking that the Orcs will find us," I replied.

Legolas nodded. "I understand, but we cannot be slow tomorrow or they shall; so please, be prepared for that."

I nodded. "I suppose you're right."

After two more hours of lying awake in the dark, exhaustion overpowered my fear and I managed to get about three or so hours sleep.

Aragorn woke us up gently in the morning. I should say I was since Amoniel and Bellasiel were already eating breakfast by the time Aragorn woke me. As soon as we all finished, we were moving quickly again. I lead Adraorien once more with my sisters on the back of the horse.

"Sister, where are we going?" Bellasiel asked.

I sighed. "I don't know."

"Then why are we with them?" Amoniel asked.

"We need to be kept safe until they are sure the Orcs are not following us anymore. Then we may go home," I replied.

"How long will that be?" Bellasiel asked.

"I don't know."

"How will we get back?" Amoniel asked.

"We will. Now stop asking questions," I ordered. My sisters were starting to make me question my trust in these travelers. I needed to trust these people who were leading us. I almost began to run the opposite direction as I began to wonder the same thing my sisters were. I could feel the color draining from my cheeks.

"Rosel?"

I screamed at the voice. I fell backwards and let go of Adraorien. Legolas's face was staring above me. "I apologize I did not mean to frighten you. You just looked pale." He said. He held onto Adraorien and my sisters looked scared as well.

"I-I'm fine. Sorry. I wasn't paying attention," I muttered and got up taking Adraorien's rope.

_**Boromir's Point of View**_

After Legolas had scared Rosel, we were on the move again.

We had to make a large circle in order to be sure the Orcs were gone. Gandalf knew that having Rosel and her sisters with us was slowing down our journey, but he could not leave them in the woods with Orcs on the loose. I do not think I could have either.

Rosel was definitely something else. She almost refused to let us feed her this morning, saying she had her own food, but we eventually forced her. She had to chase her sisters about four times after we made camp last night, and Legolas told me she did not sleep either

I wondered why she did not sleep. Legolas was on watch and she had eight other people to protect her and her sisters. It made no sense to me at all.

Legolas approached me. "When do you think Gandalf intends on taking the girls back to the village? This has slowed down our mission a great deal."

"I do not know. Why don't you ask him? I am curious as well. We cannot keep them forever," I replied.

I had taken a liking to all three of them were all very cooperative, but they did not belong in the wild at all.

Legolas took my advice and approached Gandalf. One of the younger sisters, I think Amoniel, was speaking with Gandalf when Legolas tried to talk to him. As soon as Legolas opened his mouth, Gandalf sent the girl running back to Rosel.

Once Legolas was done speaking with Gandalf, he walked back towards me. "He says we will be back at their village tomorrow."

I nodded. "Good, I do not think we can take much more time."

"I do not think we can even take that much more time."

"Legolas, we could not just leave them in the woods like that. We had to help them."

"Our mission..."

"I understand that you wish to be rid of the Ring, I do as well..."

"What ring?" I heard Rosel's voice next to me. I turned and faced her instantly and noticed that she was not leading her horse. I turned and saw Aragorn leading it, and then I faced Rosel again.

"Well, you see…we…" Legolas tried to come up with an excuse.

"Am I not allowed to know?" she asked.

"No, not really," I answered.

Rosel frowned. "I was joking. Why can't I know? It is just a ring. It is not like it could destroy Middle-earth."

I saw Legolas smirk out of the corner of my eye and I almost hit him. "What is so funny?" she snapped at Legolas.

"Nothing," he said simply and walked away. She looked upset that Legolas had just walked away from her. She crossed her arms and averted my gaze.

"Do you have any idea when you will be returning my sisters and me home?" she asked angrily.

"Gandalf said we should be there by morning," I answered calmly, despite her anger.

She looked at me incredulously, as if she were surprised I gave her a straight answer. "Really? That's it?"

"Yes, why are you surprised?"

"I thought it would be about a month. You made it sound that way."

"Sorry to worry you My Lady,"

"Rosel, not My Lady," she corrected.

I smiled. "Sorry, Rosel."

"It's fine. I worry too much. I get it from my mother; I am rambling... sorry."

I grinned. I opened my mouth to accept her apology when she fell over.

"AMONIEL! SWEET ERU! DON'T DO THAT!" she yelled.

I looked down at Rosel and Amoniel. Amoniel was giggling but standing, and Rosel was on the forest floor. "What did you do Amoniel?" I asked, curious about what made Rosel so upset.

"I grabbed her sides really hard," she answered proudly.

The whole Fellowship had stopped and was waiting for Rosel to get up.

I helped her up. Once she was on her feet, she grabbed Amoniel's side. Amoniel tried to escape her sister's grasp but it was not working. "What in the name of the Valar possessed you to do that?" Rosel scolded her sister.

"AH! Merry and Pippin told me to! Let me go Rosel!"

Rosel let go of her sister and all eyes were on the two hobbits. "Amoniel… you weren't supposed to tell…." Pippin muttered.

Rosel did not look happy at all. "I hope you two sleep with your eyes open," she growled. She turned and continued walking.

Merry and Pippin took her threat very seriously; that night they insisted on taking watch.

I watched Rosel put her sisters to bed after our small dinner. She had easily forgiven Amoniel for her prank today; all three sisters were very close.

_**Rosel's Point of View**_

I kissed Amoniel and Bellasiel's forehead and threw a blanket over them. They were tired from today's journey as was I. I was happy that we would be home soon though; I do not think I could go one more night without sleep.

I lay down in between my sisters and I felt them both cling to my waist. I smiled before exhaustion overcame me and I fell asleep.

The next morning I was woken by Legolas to find that once again Amoniel and Bellasiel were up before me.

As soon as breakfast was over, we were walking. Adraorien was getting fatigued when we found our way back to the front of the village, but I was ecstatic.

"Let me down!" Amoniel called from the top of Adraorien. I smiled and let her and Bellasiel down. They raced back up to our small home.

"Thank you, for everything." I turned and faced the company.

"Of course Rosel, we will take you back to your home," Aragorn answered.

I nodded and walked back to Edoawien's house to return Adraorien. The company followed my little sisters back home. I was grateful for their help, I really was. But I was very curious about why they were travelling and how they knew those Orcs would be after them. They were not just going to Gondor; they were on some sort of quest that was pointed out to me after I spoke to Boromir and Legolas.

I raced back home knowing my mother would be worried sick about her children. As soon as I walked into the door, I found my mother hugging my little sisters. I assumed Raina was in the nursery, because no one from the company was holding her.

"Rosel!" My mother exclaimed through her tears. She must have been a wreck, though I cannot say I blame her. We were out in the wilderness for more than the two days I promised.

I embraced my mother and over her shoulder, I saw my little sisters saying goodbye to the company.

I let go of my mother quickly and went to say goodbye, except I brought them outside.

"What is this Ring that you..." I pointed at Boromir, "and Legolas were speaking of?"

Gandalf looked enraged, Frodo wore a frightened expression, Merry, Pippin and Sam all stared at Boromir, Gimli looked at Legolas, Aragorn's jaw dropped and Boromir and Legolas were staring at me incredulously.

"Rosel you cannot know that," Gandalf said, breaking the silence.

"Why not? I asked this to Boromir earlier. It's just a Ring; it is not going to destroy Middle Earth."

"Well…" Boromir began.

"How is a RING going to destroy Middle-earth?" I asked again, confused.

Gandalf sighed. "Come now child, we must speak."


	3. Running Away

"That is certainly a lot to hear at once," I said, shocked. I had no idea why they were so brief when they visited the first time, but now I knew why. The fate of Middle-earth rested in their hands.

"You must not tell anyone Rosel. This is a secret and we wish to keep it that way," Gandalf said seriously.

"Of course," I replied, still trying to absorb the information I just heard. "I guess you will be leaving me soon?"

"Yes, I am afraid so Miss Rosel. We wish you and your family well," Aragorn said. I nodded. I would be forever in their debt; they saved my life as well as my sisters. I could never repay them. I wanted to desperately, though. I had wondered what would have happened if they did not find us. My sisters and I may have been killed by Orcs like my father, and I do not think my mother could have survived more death in her family. She would not be able to take care of Raina alone.

When my father died, Raina was only a month old. My mother just stayed in her room for two weeks before she came out. When she did, she just watched me take care of my sisters. She was lost without him. It hurt my sisters and I as well. Bellasiel did not know what had happened; she did not know why she would never see our father again. Amoniel, on the other hand had a good grasp on it, and she was heartbroken. Amoniel took it the hardest out of us sisters.

It took my mother two months to come out of her trance. Even then, she was never the same. She began doing housework again, but she almost refused to take care of Raina and I had to make her feed her youngest daughter. I could never figure out why she refused to look at Raina sometimes.

"Rosel?" Legolas brought me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, I apologize. I was just thinking…"

"It is all right, we must be going now. I am afraid we are in a bit of a hurry," Gimli said.

"I would hope so," I said grinning. "Goodbye. I will miss you! Be safe."

"We shall, goodbye Miss Rosel," Sam said, turning and following the company.

I wandered back into my home and watched Amoniel and Bellasiel play with their dolls for a few minutes before my mother told me to clean out her old desk.

I walked into the small room where the old wooden desk was, and took the mounds of paper off it. I saw my mother's diary among the stacks of paper. I pulled it out and opened it. The diary was old; it was from before Bellasiel was born. I began reading some of it. I skimmed through and read many things about my sisters and me. One of her entries described my attempt to teach Amoniel to swim. I chuckled at them memory and how much of a failure it was. Then the diary began to describe how empty my mother felt about my father's absence, and how she wished he never had to work in the forest of Lothlórien, which was many leagues away… It truly pained her to know her love was so far away.

One page changed everything though. I flipped to a page where she described meeting a man by the name of Saedd. She described him as a tall man with cold-grey eyes, and blond hair. She wrote that she felt strangely whole around him and began spending more time with him and eventually he bedded her. Raina was not my father's child she was Saedd's.

I slammed the diary shut at the discovery. How could she? How could the woman I had looked up to for so long do that to my father? I opened the diary again. I had to know how she felt after my father's death. I wanted to know if it was pure guilt, which drove her to near insanity. In a way, I hoped it was. I hoped she knew the gravity of what she did.

_No, no that is a terrible thought, and about your own mother! _I thought.

I decided to read again.

_We made a terrible discovery today…Alyan was found dead. I felt deeply saddened at his loss, but somehow I knew it was not Orcs that killed him. I saw Saedd today at the market after hearing of my husband's death and he began speaking to me. He said that he wanted to raise Raina; he felt he was being shut out from her life. He did not even get to name her… He told me what he did to my husband. He murdered Alyan. He told me he could not bear to see me in the arms of another. I was shocked by his confession, I always thought him to be a gentle man, but he has proved otherwise. I told him to leave and never come back. I will never allow him near Raina, or my daughters. _

_After coming home from the market, I shut myself in my room after telling my daughters the news. Rosel is going to take care of Raina. I cannot bear to look at her. I do not feel as if I love my youngest daughter. I can never look at her without thinking about what I did to Alyan. My selfishness killed him. And it brought Raina into this world. I can never forgive myself for what has happened this day. _

I saw several water stains where she had cried on the pages. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I could never forgive my mother for being such a… a… whore. She had failed me, no, she did not fail me, she fooled me. My own mother fooled me into thinking she loved my father like no other. That those months she spent depressed, she was mourning for my father not wallowing in her own guilt.

I slammed the diary shut once more and felt anger like no other rise within me. I stormed out of the small room and into my sisters' room and mine. I shut the door and found a small bag. I needed to leave. I could never look at my mother in the eye again. I could not look at Raina either. I loved her, but she was in many ways the reason my father was dead. Amoniel would be eight in one month and would be mature enough to begin handling her younger siblings. I would come back one day when I will be married and take my sisters to come live with my husband and me. I would never let them live with my mother. She was terrible.

I felt hot tears stream down my face as I shoved my mother's diary, an extra pair of breeches and a tunic into my bag. I put on a pair of blue tights, my white tunic, and a belt with my dagger and slipped into my black boots. I looked outside and knew it was very late. The stars were out and the moon was shining brightly in the sky. I sighed and jumped out the window.

I ran into the forest and did not stop running for two hours. I collapsed into the pile of leaves and I fell into a deep sleep. I woke up the next morning and ate some berries off a small bush to my right before I began walking again. I had no idea where in Middle-earth I was going, all I knew was; with every step I took, I would be further away from _her_.

"Oi! Pippin! Wait for me!" I heard Merry cry to my left. I whirled around towards the familiar voice.

"Gandalf! Aragorn! Legolas!" I called into the woods hoping they would hear me. Maybe while I was away from home I could help Middle-earth.

"Aragorn, did you hear that? It sounded like Miss Rosel," I heard Gimli say.

"It is me! Where are you?" I called back.

"Rosel, if that is truly you, go back home!" Boromir called.

I began walking towards their voices. "No, I shall never go back. I cannot live in that place anymore."

"Rosel, you should take care of your sisters. They love you, and I am sure they miss you. Go back," Legolas added.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I had failed my sisters. I abandoned them. I left them with _her_. I did not know the next time I would see my sisters… It was too painful to think about. I swallowed my tears and continued following their voices.

"I wish I could go back. I refuse to; I cannot live with her anymore."

"Your mother?" Gandalf asked confused.

"She is not the woman I thought she was. I no longer wish to be with her. She has betrayed me."

I finally found the clearing they were in. "What do you mean?" Merry asked.

I pulled the diary from my bag and threw it to him. "Look in the back," I instructed him.

Merry began reading and his eyes widened considerably and the other hobbits read over his shoulder.

"Is… is this true?" Frodo looked up at me, his eyes filled with pity.

"This explains her behavior after my father's death. She would never take care of Raina unless I made her." Aragorn held out his hand for Merry to give him the diary.

Once the company knew what had transpired yesterday, they let me stay. Not everyone was sure about it at first, but I convinced them. I told them that I would be wandering for Eru knows how long and unprotected; needless to say they quickly let me be apart of their group. They told me there was much danger on the road ahead, but I gladly accepted.

We walked in silence for quite a while before we reached an old nation known as Hollin. Gandalf spoke of the road we were to take from here, and the Elves that had once lived in the realm; Legolas said that they had sailed to Valinor long ago.

Sam made a small fire and began cooking, while Merry, Pippin and Boromir were sparring on a small flat rock in front of Aragorn and I. "I truly am sorry about what happened." Aragorn said breaking our silence.

"Do not be. I do not seek pity, only an escape. I have always wanted to see Middle-earth and now I have the chance," I replied.

"Not the Middle-earth you wish to see, Rosel. We are going to Mordor, which is not a very good place to be."

I grinned widely. "I know. However, I also know that if I had stayed with… her… I would have never left the village and been married off to some drunkard. I am glad I left. I just wish my sisters could have had the same chance as I."

"It must have been hard leaving your sisters. You were all very close."

"We were. I know once I am married, and after this quest, I will return for them. I will even take Raina and I will raise them myself."

"Do you even know how that would affect your mother?"

"Yes. I do not care. She has done the unspeakable and now she will pay for it."

"I believe she did already."

I thought about his words for a moment. She had paid. My father had died in consequences for her actions. I realized how selfish I sounded in saying I would take my sisters from her. Taking her own children from her… was cruel. "You—you are right, Aragorn. I was so selfish to say that. I just feel so lost right now." I buried my face in my hands.

I felt his rough hand on my back. "It will heal in time. You will eventually forgive your mother."

"I don't know… I don't know anything anymore." I just… I just wish I could go back in time and fix it. Tell my mother what would happen if she let Saedd bed her, what the consequences would be. I knew I could not though, and what was done was done.

"I promise you will learn to forgive her."

"Thank you, Aragorn."

"Of course Rosel(.)"

Aragorn and I turned our attention back to the three sparring in front of us. Boromir was teaching Merry and Pippin swordplay. "Two one five!" Boromir called. "Good, good."

"Move your feet!" Aragorn added.

I smiled when Merry faked his hand being hurt and proceeded to tackle Boromir with Pippin. I giggled as I watched the scene unfold in front of me. The joy of the moment was gone quickly. I saw a small black cloud coming towards our camp. Only it was not a cloud… it was something very dangerous. "Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas called.

I jumped up and climbed quickly over the rocks and under a small ledge so I was well hidden. I held my breath and hoped they would not see us.

Once it was deemed safe to come out, we all looked at Gandalf, wondering what our new path would be since Hollin was no longer safe.

We were to go over Caradhras. I almost burst into tears at the sight of the mountain. It was a gargantuan snow capped mountain that was much taller than the other mountains that surrounded it. It was not my idea of a good time, nor anybody else's idea of a good time to climb it. We packed our bags quickly and began to make our way to the foot of the mountain.

About two days later, we were there. I almost swooned at the sight of the enormous mountain. I stood in awe. I heard a laugh from my right. I turned to face Boromir smiling at the look on my face. "This will be fun, won't it Miss Rosel?"

I giggled. "This will be fun," I replied, playing along with his joke.


	4. Caradhras

After three days, we made it to the foot of Caradhras and I was feeling a little chilled at the foot of the Mountain. The sides were red, but about half way up the Mountain I saw snow and I knew I was in for a harsh journey.

We ate breakfast at the foot of the Mountain. Sam ran off to find some wood to take with us. It was a smart idea, I was glad someone was thinking ahead.

"Miss Rosel," I head Boromir call my name.

"Hello," I said politely. I broke our eye contact quickly, looking back up at the sight that lay before me.

Boromir followed my gaze up towards the Mountain. "Are you frightened?" He asked, turning back towards me.

I looked into his eyes for just a moment. They were filled with concern. He knew it would be hard and would take quite a toll on my body. "Yes. I do not know anything about this world, except for my village and that isn't much. This journey is the only glimpse of the outside world I have gotten. So far my village seems more welcoming and safe."

Boromir smiled. "We do not ask for you to come. It will be difficult, although I think this may be the most dangerous part of our journey."

"I know I just don't know where else I would go…maybe Lórien."

"Why Lórien?"

"My father was from there and often went there for work. He was apart of the military." Boromir nodded his head. I turned my attention back towards the rest of the Company, wondering when we would begin our journey up the mountain.

"Very well, but we must not use the wood—unless it is a choice between fire and death." Gandalf said, and turned to proceed up the vast expanse that was Caradhras.

It was not too hard in the beginning. The snow was deep but there were not any wind or snow storms. The deep snow started taking its toll on the hobbits already.

Eventually, Frodo tripped and fell, rolling down the Mountain. Aragorn managed to stop him before he completely rolled over the side. He quickly felt for the Ring ,but looked up and saw it nestled in the snow. Boromir picked it up. He stared at the simple gold band on the silver chain for a moment. "It is a strange fate that we should suffer. So much fear and doubt over so small a thing…such a little thing."

I stared at the band for a moment and suddenly I heard a voice in my head. "_Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul…"_

Quickly, I looked away from the Ring and back towards Aragorn and Frodo, "Boromir!" Aragorn called. "Give the Ring to Frodo."

I did not dare turn and face Boromir again. I just watched Frodo with the greatest respect. He truly was carrying a burden. Boromir appeared out of the corner of my eye carrying the Ring and I looked back up towards Gandalf and Legolas, desperately trying to avoid the Ring. It was unnerving.

Before I could see or hear the end of the issue at hand, I scurried up the Mountain towards Legolas. He gave me a knowing look and offered his hand to help me up further. I quickly thanked him and the Fellowship was on the move again.

"Lady Rosel..." I cut Legolas off quickly.

"Rosel, just Rosel. No need for formalities." I said smiling.

Legolas smiled back. "Rosel, may I ask, why do you not have a cloak?"

"Oh damn... I mean…" I blushed, embarrassed by my slip of the tongue.

Legolas laughed. "Take mine," he said, unclasping it. "I will not need it as much as you shall soon."

"Oh no, I couldn't! It is already so cold."

"Exactly, take it."

"Fine, if you insist." I clasped the cloak around my neck. I felt much warmer already and I felt somewhat safer knowing that I was going to be well looked after. I felt an emotional pull toward the back of the line, where Boromir was. I turned to face him and saw a look of confusion, sadness, and what I saw as jealousy on his face. I did not know why the jealous look though. I thought he might have been upset from the situation with the Ring earlier, but he was looking at Legolas and me. I frowned and turned back around and started a conversation with Legolas, trying to keep my mind on simpler matters than the Ring and its effects on men.

By the end of the day, we had climbed quite a long way. The Mountain path was hard; it would twist and turn. We would frequently run into many road blocks that forced us to leave our trail and start a new one. I was exhausted. I ate a small dinner of berries and some dried fruit that Sam had in his pack, wrapped myself in Legolas' cloak and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Boromir waked me in the morning in the morning. "Get up Rosel. We have a long day ahead of us." He said, but his voice seemed different. It was not as gentle as it had been yesterday when we were speaking. I dismissed the thought quickly though, it had been one encounter with the Ring. It could not affect him that much. Could it? I shook the thoughts from my head and went to get some breakfast.

Sam handed me a small plate of dried fruit and what appeared to be dried meat. "Here you are Miss Rosel. It isn't much, but Gandalf said we can't make a fire."

I smiled warmly at him. "Its food, I'm happy." I replied, and sat down next to him and Pippin.

"I enjoy food as well," Pippin said, biting into a piece of the dried meat.

I laughed. "It really is good. I don't know what I'd do without it."

"Die?" Merry offered, entering the conversation.

We all laughed. "Most likely," I said, able to suppress my laughter for a minute.

After breakfast was done, we set off again up the Mountain. Today was terrible though. The wind had picked up, so it was like a wall in front of us _and _it was snowing. We could not hear each other as well, making conversation was incredibly difficult, therefore, we did not speak to one another.

I was quite jealous of Legolas when I saw him glide over the snow. The rest of us had to sink into it and push ourselves through it. Climbing through this snow was a gruelling process. I kept Legolas' cloak close to me and tried to keep some of the wind off my body. My legs were already soaked from the snow that I would sink into while I walked.

"Legolas!" I yelled. I was dying to know how he managed to walk so gracefully above the snow like that. He turned towards me and walked back. "How do you do that?" I asked, projecting my voice over the howling wind.

Legolas grinned, picked me up under my arms and lifted me onto the snow bank he was on. He did not let go though, and began telling me how to make myself lighter. It was in your core, and you had to concentrate hard. Well I did anyways because I was not fully an Elf. I must admit, I enjoyed Legolas' company. He was kind, and was the only Elf I knew besides my father. Because I was part Elf, I had a very high opinion of Elves.

Finally, I closed my eyes and began to walk across the snow with some grace. We managed to catch up with the rest of the company whilst I struggled to stay above the snow. I stayed behind with the rest of the Fellowship when Legolas walked forward and told Gandalf he was trying to find the sun. I continued gliding along the surface of the snow for a while, when suddenly my concentration faltered and one of my feet sank into the snow while the other moved forward. I fell to the side and almost off the Mountain, but a rough hand grabbed my arm before I managed to fall.

I turned to face my rescuer, which happened to be Boromir. He pulled me towards him and away from the edge of the cliff. "Are you all right?" He asked. A concerned look plastered on his face. My eyes were still wide. I was never fond of heights. I could only nod to let him know I was not wounded.

"You need to be careful," he said, letting go of my arm. Of course, this did nothing for the distance between us. I could feel his warm breath on my neck, and his grey eyes were staring intently down on me making me feel extremely uncomfortable.

I blushed and turned from him quickly. I began to float on the snow again, this time concentrating on keeping myself light. I tried catching up to Legolas, but he had found his was back to us before I could even make it to the front of the group.

Legolas told us that after this next bend was the worst of the Mountain, but after it became an easier climb. I silently thanked the Valar that the climb would soon become easier.

The hobbits began to attach themselves to Boromir and Aragorn, so that they could make their way through the large snowdrift that was soon to come. I mentally prepared myself for the hardship and somehow felt enough courage to stay in the front of the group with Gandalf and Legolas.

Once we reached the snowdrift, I just thought it was a wall of ice, but Boromir began to shovel to snow aside with his arms. I stayed still on top of the snow watching him in awe. Then the rest of the Company arrived. Legolas seemed to be preoccupied with something else. He walked closer to the snowdrift, then looked back at Gandalf. "There is a fell voice in the air!" Legolas yelled.

"It's Saruman!" Gandalf exclaimed.

Suddenly the entire Mountain seemed to shake and this time I was prepared. I quickly jumped off the smooth snow into the rough trail that Aragorn and Boromir had managed to dig. As I landed, I tripped forward and hit my head against the wall of the M)\ountain. I looked up for a second and then a wall of ice surrounded me. I slipped into unconsciousness a moment after.

"Rosel!" I heard my name, and someone was shaking me. My eyes fluttered open. I saw four concerned hobbits and Legolas looking down at me. There was no wind anymore and very little snow around. The Company must have carried me down the Mountain.

"Where am I?" I asked, slowly remembering what had happened on Caradhras.

"We decided to go through Moria instead of climbing Caradhras. When an avalanche happened, you jumped hit your head and we couldn't wake you up. Boromir carried you down the mountain. You hit your head quite hard Miss Rosel." Sam said, helping me sit up slowly.

I instinctively put my hand towards the large bump on my head. It had some dried blood around it and it stung, even with the light touch I gave it. I hissed and pulled my hand away quickly.

"We are resting here for tonight and we will go then to Moria." Legolas said, his voice full of contempt for the place called Moria.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"What is what?" He asked in return.

"Moria, What is Moria?"

"I forget you have little knowledge of the world Rosel. Forgive me; Moria is a mine, built by the Dwarves. It is an old place, one I do not desire to see."

I smiled at his obvious dislike of the Dwarves. "It cannot be as bad as Caradhras," I offered smiling.

"I must disagree with you on that,"

I shook my head. "The cold is not good. I would prefer to travel through a mine than climb a cold mountain. Besides, Dwarves seem nice enough. Gimli is kind."

Legolas made a face that I could not help but laugh at.

After a few minutes, dinner was served. I ate as if my life depended on it, and I wondered how long I was unconscious. Finally, after the hobbits told us a story of the Shire, I wrapped myself in Legolas' cloak once more and went to sleep.


	5. The Lake and the Mines

I was woken a while later. The sun was setting over the horizon and I had to adjust my eyes to the bright orange that was scattered across the fallen leaves on the forest floor. It was a beautiful sight.

"Come, Rosel, we must hurry." Aragorn said, helping me up. I nodded and began to follow the Fellowship towards Moria.

Finally, we stumbled blindly out of the woods and there was an enormous wall to our right. I looked up the great stonewall in awe of its size. "Keep up Rosel!" I heard Legolas call from the front sounding amused.

I ran to catch up with the group, gracefully tripping over a rock and landing on my stomach into the small circle that the Fellowship had made. They all laughed at me.

"You know, for someone who has elvish blood, you are quite clumsy." Boromir commented, with a smirk.

I blushed and could not help but to smile. "Quiet," I retorted.

Gandalf was currently saying many things that I could not understand. I knew some of the Elvish he was speaking, but he was speaking many other languages as well. We were all anxious to go into the mines and this delay was not helping our nerves.

I sat down at the edge of the small lake and watched as Merry and Pippin threw stones into it. Aragorn immediately ran up and told them to stop. Wondering why, I started moving away from the lake. There had to be something dangerous if he would not let them throw stones into the lake. I found myself next to Boromir. We sat in silence for a short time, our eyes scanning the area for any threats.

"It's a riddle!" Frodo got exclaimed, rising from the stone he was perched on. "Gandalf, what's the Elvish word for friend?" He asked.

"_Mellon_." Gandalf replied and the stone doors split in two. We all began to move into the cave quickly.

Gimli began to brag about Moria, making me curious to see what this mine was truly like. I was still trying to understand why Legolas hated the idea of going to Moria so much, Gimli was making it sound nice. Although, the mine didn't smell very nice at the moment; the idea of a good meal had my mouth watering. Gandalf lit up the cave and all my thoughts of Moria being nice were proven wrong. Dwarf corpses were scattered around the entrance of the mine, all of which had cobwebs on them and arrows sticking out of their bones. I stifled a shriek.

"This is no mine…it's a tomb." I head Boromir say.

"Goblins!" Legolas cried.

We were all turning to get out of the cave when Frodo suddenly was flung into the air and out of the mine. I screamed.

Everyone burst into action at once. The entire company ran forward attacking the monster that had Frodo by the leg. I, however, was frozen in place. My eyes were the only thing that could move and they followed Frodo as he was spun in the air like a doll. I slowly began to back into the mines my eyes wide with fear.

I began to realize my mistakes coming out here quite quickly. I did not even have a _sword_. I only had a dagger. I obviously was not brave enough for this. Here I was cowering from this monster while the rest of the company was out there trying to save Frodo's life. I was certainly doomed. Suddenly the monster pulled me out of my thoughts, quite literally.

A cold tentacle wrapped around my ankle, and I screamed realizing what was happening. The tentacle tugged me over so that I was flat on my face and then pulled me up so that I was outside of the cavern and high up in the air.

"ROSEL!" I heard someone yell from below.

I heard an arrow fly by my ear and sink into the tentacle that was suspending me. The monster stopped swinging me and surfaced so I could see its face. I screamed louder as the monster picked up its swinging again.

I heard another arrow sink into the monster's tentacle, and finally it dropped me. I closed my eyes tightly trying not to think of where I would land. If I landed in the water, I would survive the fall. But surely the monster would grab me again. But if I landed on the shore I might not survive the fall.

An instant later, I felt cold water surround my body. Grateful that I was not dead, I opened my eyes. Seeing the monster to my right, I began to swim away from it as fast as my arms would pull me. I surfaced at the edge of the lake and crawled on to the shore coughing.

"Into the mines!" I heard Gandalf cry. I was lifted off the ground and carried into the cavern. I heard rocks falling behind us, so I buried my face in my rescuer's chest.

"The passage is blocked. We must face the Mines of Moria. Our presence must go unnoticed; there are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world." Gandalf said.

I was still shaking as I clung to my rescuer. "Rosel, you are safe now," I heard Boromir say in a soothing voice. I attempted to let go of him but failed. The frozen feeling had come back to me.

"Rosel?" I head Legolas say. I tried to move my lips to say I was all right, but it felt as if they were sewn shut.

"Are you all right Rosel?" Aragorn asked.

Finally, movement came back into my body. Stupidly, I let go of Boromir and slipped out of his arms. My head hit the stone floor and I slipped into unconsciousness.

I opened my eyes slowly, trying to recall what had happened. "She's awake!" I heard Merry cry with glee. I began to sit up slowly. Memories of what had happened flooded back to me. I almost started to cry when I remembered what had happened.

I was still soaking wet, which told me I hadn't been unconscious for too long. While examining my arms I noticed several small cuts and bruises, the same for my legs. I instantly wondered if Frodo had been hurt as bad as I. Most likely, that monster, which I later learned was called the Watcher, was not too kind to its prey, and unfortunately Frodo and I had been put into this category.

"Can you walk Rosel?" Gandalf asked, seeming concerned, but I knew he wanted to leave these mines as soon as possible.

Not wanting to delay the journey any further, I nodded. Legolas did not look convinced, but helped me to my feet anyways. I swayed slightly to my right, but Legolas steadied me.

"Are you sure?" Legolas asked smirking.

I pulled myself out of his grasp, concentrating on keeping my balance. "Quite." I snapped and walked steadily to the front of the group. We walked for hours after hours. The mines seemed as if they were never ending, as if we would be wandering in darkness forever.

Finally we stopped. We all collapsed and began to eat or try to rest. I was doing the latter when Sam approached me with a small meal. Smiling, I took the plate and began to eat slowly.

Boromir sat down next to me with a dish as well. "Are you feeling well? Legolas told me that you had trouble walking earlier." He asked. Concern etched on his face.

I nodded. "I am all right, my ankle hurts from being swung around before. But other than that, I got out of that situation quite well. It could have been worse."

Boromir nodded in agreement. "I am grateful you are well Rosel,"

I flushed slightly and was glad that the darkness covered it. "Thank you," I replied in a whisper.

"Is something troubling you?"

I paused for a moment. Homesickness washed over me quickly, and so did fear. Aragorn was certainly right when he said the Middle Earth that the company would be traveling through was not the Middle Earth that one would want to see.

So far, the road had been miserable. We had climbed a steep and snowy mountain, Frodo and I had been attacked by a monster, and we were stuck in an Orc infested mine. I had not seen a bath in weeks and was covered head to toe in dirt and grease. I missed my sisters as well. I wondered how they were doing without me; if Raina was okay and taken care of. I knew very well that my mother would not do it without being forced, so hopefully Amoniel would be the one to do so. I felt guilty making Amoniel grow up so early, but there was no way I could stay in that house knowing my mother's secret.

"Yes," I finally choked, answering his question. Boromir looked at me, his facial expression begging me to elaborate.

"I miss my sisters," I stated, not wishing for him to know that I was almost regretting coming with the Fellowship. I enjoyed their company; they were kind, good hearted people. The road was the problem though. However, this is what I decided to do, so I would have to deal with it.

"I understand(.) I miss my brother as well."

"What's his name?"

"Faramir, we are very close. I know you have younger siblings, but do you have any older siblings?"

"No, I'm the eldest. It can be a burden though, taking care of all of them."

"I never had to take care of Faramir, but…"

Boromir and I were interrupted when Gandalf commanded us to sleep because we had a long road ahead of us.

"Goodnight Rosel," Boromir told me and laid down to go to sleep.

"Goodnight," I responded laying down as well.

I was the first to wake up and saw that Legolas had been watch. Yawning, I greeted him.

"Good morning, did you sleep all right?" He asked politely.

I nodded and rubbed my eyes.

He smiled widely. "I suppose we should wake the rest of the Fellowship."

Grinning, I nodded. I woke the hobbits gently, but Pippin refused to wake up so Merry kicked his side. We all laughed quietly at the hobbits' antics. We all reached a silent agreement that breakfast would have to be eaten on the road. I snacked on an apple Sam had given me, silently trying to keep up with the Fellowship.

After more hours of travelling, we came to a crossroads of sorts. Gandalf looked at the three doorways in a way that told me that we were going to be sitting here for a while awhile.

"I have no memory of this place," He proclaimed.

All of us frowned and sat down, knowing it may be a while. I sat by myself, letting memories of home seep into my thoughts. I closed my eyes and pretended I was with my sisters at my home. For some reason I felt as if I were missing something, I do not know what though.

I stayed with my thoughts for some time before I was snapped out of them by Gandalf. "I have remembered the way!" He announced. Opening my eyes, I climbed to my feet and began to follow him down the mineshaft.

After a few moments of walking, we came into an immense city. Rows and rows of columns were surrounding us, a marble floor at our feet. It truly was a beautiful sight. "Behold the city of Dwarrodelf." Gandalf said, making the light on the end of his staff grow. My eyes widened and I gasped. The city was beautiful. One could tell it had been empty for years though.

Gimli's cry of pain drew me out of my thoughts quickly. He sprinted into a room and the Fellowship followed. He sank to his knees at a giant marble slab of sorts and began to sob. "No…" he cried.

"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria. It is as I feared." Gandalf said. Gandalf walked over to the right of the tomb and grabbed a large book and began reading aloud to us.

The account was hard to listen to. It was a history of Moria, and Gandalf was reading of its demise and how the Orcs took over. I was extremely jumpy after hearing the account, and when a deafening clamor filled the small room, I sprang up, frightened.

The Fellowship whirled around and found Pippin standing next to a well with a guilty look on his face. We all held our breath for a few moments before we thought it safe to speak. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Gandalf scolded the hobbit. After he snatched back his hat and staff from Pippin, we heard drums from the deep.


	6. Hurt

Everyone burst into action. Boromir and Legolas began barricading the doors while the rest of us got ready to fight. I was shaking I was so scared, but I suppose I had every right to be. Orcs are no joke. And the fact that Boromir said they had a cave troll was not calming nerves.

I had my dagger out and I was ready to swing it at whatever tried to hurt me. My shaking wouldn't stop and I constantly had to remind myself to breathe.

The time span between when Pippin knocked down that corpse to when the orcs burst into the room was maybe five minutes, but to me it felt like a lifetime. Everything was surreal.

The orcs charged in and Legolas was already killing them; gracefully pulling back his bow string and letting it loose quickly. Boromir and Aragorn were both swinging their swords at them while Gandalf hit them with his staff and Gimli avenged his family.

Things were in slow motion. I felt like I couldn't breathe when I saw an orc charge at me and the hobbits. My grip tightened on my dagger making my knuckles turn white and I swung it at him, cutting open his jugular. The orc fell to the ground dead. It took sometime to sink in but another orc charged and I swung at it again, this time my dagger met his sword and not his jugular.

The hobbits had scattered already (not that I blame them) and I was left alone to face this monster. He was smiling at the fear that was etched on my face. He swung his sword around and I jumped back just barely avoiding the blade. I ducked and lunged at him with my dagger ready to stab his gut when the flat of his sword slammed down on the top of my head. I shrieked in pain and shock.

My vision had become splotchy and I was about to pass out when I heard a sickening crack. I looked up and saw the orc was dead and Boromir was standing above its corpse. He quickly turned his attention to me.

"Are you all right?" He asked panicked.

My eyelids fluttered shut.

"No!" He exclaimed. "Wake up!"

I opened my eyes. My head was pounding and I wanted to sleep.

Suddenly I heard a deafening roar from the cave troll. I turned my head slowly to see what had upset it when I saw that it was falling. My mind was screaming at me to move but my body was set on resting.

Boromir took action and lifted me off the ground and sprinted out of the way. I laid on my stomach and Boromir flipped me over.

"Rosel? Rosel!" He cried.

I was struggling to stay awake; I knew I had gotten a concussion.

"Stay awake." He ordered. He picked me up and carried me towards where the Fellowship was standing.

I looked and watched his face for a moment. It went from frightened to sad and then to confused. I wished I could hear what was happening; it felt like the only sense that was working was my sight. My ears were ringing and it felt like someone was punching the inside of my skull.

Then we were running. I struggled to keep my eyes open, I did everything I could to stay awake. I thought about my sisters, about the first time I met the Fellowship, about Caradhras and about the Watcher. Letting my thoughts whirl inside my head managed to keep me awake, but not fully aware about what was happening around us. The only thing I was really aware of was that Boromir would look down every minute or so to make sure I was still awake.

Finally we stopped. Boromir gave me a worried look and I saw his lips move but I didn't know what he was saying because the ringing in my ears was still so incredibly loud. Before I signaled that I couldn't hear his head snapped back up and I saw his lips move again.

I stopped trying to focus on what was around me and just try and stay awake.

I snapped out of my concentration though when I realized we were going down. The ringing in my ear was starting to subside but I still couldn't hear what the Fellowship was saying to one another.

I weakly moved my head to the side to see where we were going.

We were moving down a huge staircase at a fast pace and I saw a small bridge to my right. It was extremely hot and I saw dozens of orcs around the edges of where we were. I wished I had just kept my gaze on Boromir because the fear pulsing through me was unbearable.

The only thing that we would be running from would be orcs but I don't think even this many orcs would cause the Fellowship to emit the fear that it was right now.

Finally the ringing in my ears subsided enough that I could hear what was happening. A pounding sound was coming from behind us but I had no idea what it could be.

"Boromir…" I said sleepily.

He glanced down for a moment but his head snapped back up almost instantly.

I wondered what was happening seeing as I couldn't gather very much information in my current state.

Finally our running came to a halt. I mustered up what little strength I had and turned. The staircase had a gaping hole in the middle. I mentally groaned at the idea of jumping, or worse, being thrown across.

Legolas jumped first and helped a couple of us across. When it came to be Boromir's turn he threw me over his shoulder grabbed Merry and Pip and jumped.

I clung to his tunic and buried my face in it trying not to see what was below us. Feeling Boromir's rough hand try and pull me off I let go of his tunic and he set me back down in his arms clearly thinking that I was in no condition to walk. Which I wasn't.

After we all made it over the gap we were running again. Finally we made it to an exit, but we didn't go through. Boromir whirled around and faced Gandalf.

Gandalf was on the small bridge and was facing an enormous monster. It stood almost as tall as the mine and had a long whip in its hands. It cracked the whip and stepped forward onto the bridge. The cavern shook.

My eyes threatened to shut again and I almost gave in but I had to watch what was going to happen next. Absolute fear and awe took over me but my body was begging for me to go to sleep.

"You cannot pass!" He ordered the monster.

I heard Frodo call Gandalf's name behind me.

"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow."

The monster took a step forward.

"You shall not pass!" Gandalf slammed his staff down on the bridge and it collapsed under the monster and it fell into the abyss.

Gandalf turned back to leave the mine but the monster's whip snaked around his ankle and pulled him back to the edge of the bridge. He tried to pull himself back up but to no avail. He looked at us knowing exactly what his fate was. "Fly you fools!" Was his final command before he fell into the chasm below.

"NO!" Frodo screamed.

We all stared at the bridge for a moment and I felt my heart break. I closed my eyes and they didn't open until we reached Lórien.

~//~

When my eyes did open I was high up off the ground. This was the first time I had passed out and no one was standing over me. I sat up slowly in response and an elleth rushed over to greet me.

"Slowly, slowly…there we go." She said.

"Where am I?" I asked confused.

"You are in Lórien milady."

The idea of being in Lórien made me a little happier. This was where my father grew up. He had always told me of the mallorn trees and the sheer beauty of this place and how he would take me and my sisters one day…

"Oh. How long was I unconscious?" I asked.

"I have woken you several times to make sure you were not seriously injured but you were out for two days."

My eyes widened. "Two days? Oh sweet Eru…"

The elleth smirked. "I'm sure you must be hungry, I will go fetch you some soup."

She walked out of the room quickly leaving me by myself in the large room. But she returned within a minute carrying a bowl with steam rising from it.

I took it from her hands and practically poured it down my throat. She giggled at how fast I ate the soup.

"When can I leave?" I asked.

"Tomorrow morning. Should I tell your companions that you are awake?"

I nodded my head. "Oh, and I never asked your name."

"Falathiel. And you?"

"Rosel."

She smiled. "Have a good day Miss Rosel." She left the room.

I wanted to sleep again but I knew that the Fellowship would soon be visiting me so I just stared at the ceiling and replayed the events from the mines in my head.

It just all seemed so surreal. The idea that Gandalf was dead was still trying to register in my mind. I couldn't picture the Fellowship without his guidance and wisdom.

A small knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I sat up quickly. "Come in!" I called.

Legolas, Merry and Pippin came through the door. I wondered where everyone else was, but I did not ask grateful that they had even come. I smiled warmly at them.

"Rosel, please do not ever do that again." Legolas stated.

I laughed softly. "I do apologize, that orc hit me really hard on the head."

He smiled and the hobbits ran over and jumped on my bed. "You need to see Lórien! It's so pretty!" Pippin exclaimed.

I smiled. "You can give me a tour tomorrow, that's when Falathiel will let me leave."

"Why not now? You look fine." Merry added.

"You do not know that Merry, besides I doubt that Lady Falathiel will like that we stole her patient either." Legolas said taking a seat at the end of my bed.

The idea of going on walk sounded heavenly, but unfortunately Legolas was right.

We talked for a long time before they left for dinner leaving me in my room alone again. I wanted to sleep, but I wasn't tired due to the fact I was asleep for two days.

I walked around my room looking for something to do and decided to go out on the small balcony in my room. Taking in the scene around my, I slid my back down the wall and sat down on the wooden panels below me.

The trees were enormous and were most likely as old as Middle-earth itself. Oh the stories they could tell! I sighed, wishing for a way to stay like this, just be able to capture the moment and relive it again. Now I understood why my father always wanted me to see Lórien.

I sat there for at least an hour just holding on to the scene before someone entered my room.

I whirled around and saw Boromir. "Hello." I greeted politely.

"Hello, I thought you were going to come down for dinner." He replied walking towards the balcony.

"No, I had some soup here. I don't think my nurse, Falathiel, will let me leave until tomorrow anyhow."

"I see."

I was still sitting and staring out at the trees when we fell into silence. He was stiff and seemed to be nervous about something. "Why didn't you come up earlier?" I asked quietly and I finally looked up at him.

His eyes looked almost scared and they had worry buried within them. Then he cast his glance downward at his feet. "I was helping Aragorn with something."

I knew he was making up an excuse but decided not to pry.

"I see." I replied coldly.

He detected my change in mood quite rapidly. "I am sorry I couldn't come up. We are preparing for our journey once we leave already."

"I assume we are leaving soon then."

"I don't know, Aragorn wants to, but we need to rest for sometime. And we still have to make sure you have recovered from your injury."

I looked up at him again trying to read the emotion on his face, but he had his back turned to me and was leaning over the railing on the balcony. Frowning, I turned my head back towards the scene in front of me.

Silence fell over us. It was not a pleasant one either.

Finally Boromir broke the silence. "I suppose I should go." He said.

"Why did you even come if you were going to leave that soon?" I asked.

Our eyes met and he looked at a loss for words. "I guess I wanted to see if you were well."

"That's all?" I inquired, hoping the reason he had come was more than that.

He swallowed. "Yes." He replied and quickly left the room, slamming the door behind me.

A tear slid down my cheek but I quickly wiped it away.

I brought my knees up to my chest and rested my head on them. As hard as I tried to stop them, tears kept falling from my eyes. My heart ached, and finally my silent tears turned into sobbing.

**A/N: Hello! I updated in a decent time span somehow. This was a feat because of finals coming up and then my cultural exchange program. I really want to update before I leave for Kazakhstan, but I don't know if I can so don't expect it. Anyways thanks to all those who reviewed, alerted and favorited! It always makes my day when I see an email from FFN! To those reviewers I have shout outs!**

**BFellow: Thanks! I hope this was soon enough! Oh and I love Thailand :D**

**Elvenprincess3019: I am glad I turned it into a Boromir fic too because I would get a little bored with an Aragorn one haha. Anyways, Legolas will always have a place in my fics! **

**Rossi's Lil Devil: Thank you! I'm glad you like my OC! It took a long time to try and make her haha. We'll save Boromir somehow I promise :D **

**To all those who favorited or alerted please review it takes two seconds to tell me what you think :D**


	7. Learning

I had been released from Falathiel's care and was onto better things now. Legolas was teaching me archery. Even though I was having trouble with it he was patient.

"Stand up straighter." He ordered.

I obeyed and arched my back.

"Good…now just gently—"

He was interrupted by the sound of my bow string. My arrow flew past the target and into the bushes. I sighed; yet another missed target.

He chuckled a little. "It is all right, you are still learning." Legolas said seeing my frustration.

I threw down my bow. "No it's not! We are leaving soon and I cannot even defend myself!" I cried.

"Rosel, calm down. You will learn; it takes more than a week's worth of training to learn how to use a bow properly. I believe dinner is soon. Go take a bath and put on something decent."

I nodded my head and walked off towards my tent to grab a dress.

After my bath I slipped into the simple blue gown and walked towards the dining hall.

Once I finally arrived I slid into a seat next to Legolas and began helping myself to the food laid out for the Fellowship.

Aragorn and Boromir walked into the dining hall together and when I made eye contact with Boromir he said something to Aragorn and walked out of the dining hall. My eyes darted back to my plate.

He had been like that all week and I still didn't know why. It confused me so much. He saved my life several times and had been so kind to me and when I tried to return his feelings he ran away. Men will always confuse me.

Aragorn sat across from Legolas and me and started serving himself. "Where did Boromir go off to?" I asked casually.

"He said he was tired." Aragorn replied.

I rolled my eyes. Same excuse two days ago, he was avoiding me.

"What?" Legolas asked seeing my eye roll.

I just shook my head. "He hasn't been to supper all week."

Both pondered my statement for a moment. "You're right." Legolas said.

"You did not notice?"

"No, he has almost disappeared completely this week, in fact, that was the first time I had spoken to him." Aragorn said.

I sighed.

"Strange." Legolas commented.

I did not think that our spat had him avoiding the entire Fellowship, me yes, but not everyone else. My mind ran through the possibilities of why he was staying away.

Gandalf's death? No, that was something that the Fellowship had to heal together. For some it would be harder, but I knew that we were slowly (emphasis on slowly) recovering.

Homesickness? No, to withdraw like that with homesickness seems unlikely. He must have been away from home many times anyways.

I thought of many other possibilities but none seemed to fit. Finally I gave up thinking he would come around soon.

After dinner I escaped back to my tent and started reading a book I had found in the library the day before. It was in elvish but I knew some and it was enough to get by. Soon after finishing a chapter I fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning when the first rays of light danced into my tent. My white sheets seemed to glitter in the sun. I smiled knowing today would be lovely.

I put on a pair of breeches and a tunic hoping that Legolas and I could work on my arching skills. The Valar know that they need improvement…

As I sprinted down to the dining hall for breakfast I tripped over my own feet.

Hearing someone snort, I whirled around.

"Your name is Rosel, correct?" A blond elf asked.

"Correct. I'm afraid I do not know your though." I replied curiously.

"Forgive me, I am Haldir. I knew your father, Alyan, he was a kind man."

I stared at him for awhile. No one ever spoke of my father to me here. "Y-you knew my father?" I stammered.

He nodded his head. "Yes, we were great friends. His death devastated me and many others as well."

Finally, I brought my self off my knees and onto my feet.

"Your father did not lie when he said you were clumsy."

I grinned. "I suppose he didn't tell you whom I got it from."

Haldir chuckled. "No, but he did tell me where you got your hair from. He spoke very highly of you and your family. Tell me, why are you with the Fellowship?"

The last thing I wanted to tell him was why I was out here. That my mother was a liar and a whore. That her lover killed his friend and my father. That my youngest sister was not my father's child.

"I wanted to leave the village and go and see the world." I lied. "My father must have told you how small that place was."

"He did. But he also told me about how peaceful and beautiful it was."

I had never though of my village as beautiful; especially compared to Lórien. I knew that my father loved our village but to describe it as beautiful was far too much justice to it. The village was peaceful though, except for the one orc attack but that did not turn out as bad as it could have been.

"I would not call it beautiful, but yes, it is quite peaceful. No place compares to here though."

"Most foreigners say that. Your father wanted to bring you here, I remember. Have you spend many years here. He truly wanted the best for you."

I smiled. It hurt to hear what could have been, but I was happy to hear how much my father loved me. I always knew he did, but it was special to hear that he would talk about me to the elves here.

"Would you like to join me to breakfast Lady Rosel?" Haldir asked offering his arm.

I smiled. "I would love to."

We talked well after we had finished our meals. I was at peace speaking with Haldir; I had forgotten everything that was troubling me and was lost in our stories.

"Rosel!" I heard Legolas call, pulling me out of my and Haldir's conversation.

I whirled around to face him. "Yes?"

"Have you been sitting here all morning? Come, you need to practice."

Sighing, I turned back around and faced Haldir. "I'm afraid I need to leave. Thank you so much for a wonderful morning."

"Anytime my Lady." Haldir replied.

I followed Legolas out of the dining hall and onto the archery field. Running to keep up with the elf was not easy either.

"Why are you walking so fast?" I asked.

"Because we have lost enough time already." He replied stoically.

Finally we arrived at the archery field. It was empty, which was quite odd for this time of day.

Legolas threw me a bow and a quiver and I caught them both.

"Shoot." He commanded.

I was worried about why he was acting like this today, it was so unlike him.

Instead of asking though, I took an arrow out of the quiver and prepared it to fire. I drew the bow string back and let my fingers go. The arrow flew into the bushes.

Frustrated, I sighed. "Why are you doing this? I still cannot do it. Just like yesterday. And the day before."

His brow creased. "Unfortunately you were right yesterday as well. We are leaving sooner than I expected. I need you to spend all your time here."

Needless to say I was frustrated. "Fine…"

"Good. Now your form was a little off…" He began to teach me technique and form.

The sun had begun to set when Legolas finally said we could go to the dining hall. But I did not want to. I wanted to stay and lie down on the soft grass and watch the sun turn the green leaves of the trees orange. To watch the sun's rays' dance over the grass and feel what warmth it offered on my skin.

"You go to dinner. I am not hungry." I told him.

He seemed confused but went anyways.

After I set my bow down I lied down on the grass and watched the tree braches turn gold. I hung onto the moment, hoping, praying to the Valar that it wouldn't pass. That peace I was feeling was perfect. Everything about the moment was right. The scene, my peace. Nothing was wrong for once.

"Rosel?" I heard Boromir.

The peace was gone. I wanted to yell at him, to tell him what he ruined. But I didn't.

Instead I faced him. "Boromir."

"What are you doing in the archery field?"

"Well I suppose you have not been around the Fellowship enough to know that Legolas is teaching me archery."

He winced slightly at my tone. "I apologize. I haven't been feeling well lately."

"Right. It is good to see you are feeling well again."

He took a seat next to me. "You are in a foul mood."

"Quite."

Boromir frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No."

"Then-?"

"Goodbye Boromir." I snapped and got up.

I stormed out of the archery field and broke into a sprint to get to the dining hall.

The Fellowship all turned their heads toward me as I walked toward the table. My face was blotchy from crying and I was out of breath from my run. I must have been quite a sight.

"Is everything all right?" Aragorn asked as I shoveled food onto my plate.

"Wonderful." I replied piling the food into my mouth.

The Fellowship's eyes were on me but I ignored them; making sure to keep food in my mouth at all times to make sure I kept from crying.

As soon as my plate was clean I walked out of the dining hall and into my tent. I threw myself on my bed and closed my eyes tight attempting to sleep.

I spent hours tossing and turning in my bed, but sleep would not find me. Staring at my tent's ceiling, I tried to find the peace that I had earlier in the archery field. It would not return to me.

I gave up on sleep and left my tent and headed towards the library to find a new book. It took a while to ascend the stairs and when I finally arrived at the library the doors were locked tight. I slammed my fists down on the doors. Putting my back on the door, I slid down the smooth wood and onto the floor.

I looked at the twinkling stars and the moon and some peace returned to me. Sighing, rested my chin on my knees and closed my eyes. My heart stopped pounding on my ribcage and I felt better.

Hearing light footsteps coming down the pathway, my eyes snapped open. I jumped onto my feet and ran down the path toward the stairs. The stranger's feet were pounding behind me and I tried to run faster. I felt their hand wrap around my arm and then their hand flew over my mouth so I wouldn't scream. I kicked and threw my weight against him knocking us both to the ground. I rolled off of him and flew onto my feet and sprinted down the stairs.

"Rosel!" The man called. I knew the voice.

I whirled around. "What was that?" I exclaimed. "You frightened me! I thought you were going to hurt me!"

Boromir stared at me for a moment. "Please keep your voice down."

"No! I will not! Not until you tell me why you are up here in the middle of the night!"

"I could ask you the same question."

"You have been following me all day! You have ruined any moment of peace and I just wish you would stay away!"

His winced. "I did not mean to frighten you, or disturb you. I could not sleep so I took a walk and found you. I apologize if I have been an inconvenience." He snapped.

My eyes dropped to my bare feet. "S—sorry. I don't know what came over me then. I just—I just am confused."

"By what?"  
"You."

I looked back up at him and his expression was begging for me to say more.

"You have ignored the Fellowship, and me especially, all week and now you think it's all right if you try and be friends again. You have also tried to speak to me at the worst times. I also don't know how you think of me. After the mines and when I was in Falathiel's care you have had me so baffled. I do not know what or how you think of me."

His mouth opened and then closed again. Boromir knew I was right but had no response.

"I should get to bed. Goodnight Boromir."

I turned on my heel and escaped down the stairs.

Arriving to my tent was a relief. I pulled the white sheets over my body and stared at the roof until the suns ray's poured into my tent.

**A/N: I updated! Wooo! I exempted all of my finals except English…ironic? I think so. Anywho that means I got two whole days off and look what I got you guys! A new chap! Just so you guys get this picture this is my LAST update for a little while. I doubt I will be able to update in Kazakhstan. Thanks to all those who put me on story alert and favorited me. I like being a favorite :D. Shout outs for my reviewers!**

**Rossi's Lil Devil: Thanks! Hope this was soon enough :D**

**Just so you know reviews make me happy and a happy writer writes.**


	8. Confusion

Hot tears streamed down my face as I pulled arrow after arrow from my quiver, and shot them at the target in front of me. The fight was clear in my mind. I was still infuriated by it.

"_Boromir!" I called, running after him. Boromir turned and faced me__;__ looking cold and uninviting. "I just wanted to apologize for last night. I feel __like__ I was too blunt, should not have questioned why you distanced yourself. We are all going through a tough time and I understand now. Will you forgive me?" I asked, smiling despite the frown he wore._

"_No. I do not forgive you!" he spat. _

_I backed away from him slowly and then I turned and sprinted away from him, more hurt than I had ever been in my life. _

My anger was driving my desire to hit the target before me – something I had so longed to do. When the arrows had disappeared from my quiver, I went to get them. To pull the arrows out, I had to use all of my strength as they had sunk far into the wood target.

"Rosel, I am glad to see you have improved!" I heard Legolas say behind me. "But not glad to see you so upset. What has happened?"

I dropped the arrow I was holding and sank to the ground. Sobbing, I put my hands over my eyes. I felt a warm hand on my back. "Rosel, please, tell me what's wrong." Legolas asked, gently.

"I… I can't…" I sobbed. My hands sank from my face and I looked into his eyes. His eyes were soft, kind and inviting. Before I knew what was happening, I threw my arms around him and cried harder. I needed to feel safe and wanted. Legolas' arms wrapped around my back and he pulled me closer. "Shh… Shh… Rosel, calm down and tell me what has happened."

"I… can't…" I broke myself away from him and looked back into his eyes, which were filled with concern.

Legolas nodded. "All right then." His hand rested on my shoulder.

My tears had ceased and I had managed to pull myself onto my feet. "Go back to your tent - you need to rest." Legolas said. I nodded and walked down the path to our camp, hoping to find peace there. It was not likely, but still worth a try.

I crawled into my bed (and) cuddled with a pillow for a long time letting my thoughts whirl inside my head. Everything had become so… infuriating. Most of it had to do with Boromir. He was so confusing. First, he wanted to be my friend, so I let him. Then, he distances himself from me, and I get angry. He wanted to be friends again, but I am still upset with him ignoring me. Then, I forgive him, and he wants out again.

I wondered if we would ever want each other at the same time. Because of the whole situation with Boromir, I had not slept in… a very long time. And once again, I would not be getting any tonight. We were leaving from Lórien in a week, and I knew it was going to be bad. I just had this sense of… foreboding. I knew I had to get my mind off Boromir, and my worries of leaving. Quickly, I got up and left my tent. I took my bow and quiver and ran off toward the archery fields. Even though I was not any good at archery, it helped keep my mind off things. That was probably the only reason I had not given up all together.

I pulled back the bowstring and let the arrow fly into its target. As I lowered my bow, I saw that the center of the target had an arrow in it. Not just any arrow, but my arrow! My eyes widened as I dropped my bow. I could not believe it! I wanted to jump up and down, and scream with joy - so I did. My arrow hitting the bulls-eye was the best thing that happened to me since I came to Lórien.

I was so ecstatic that I had to show Legolas, even if he was resting. I ran toward our camp and when I arrived, I shook Legolas to wake him. "Legolas! Wake up!"

Legolas' eyes opened slowly. "Rosel…?" he mumbled.

"Wake up! You have to see this!"

"It is still dark. And why are you in your night gown?"

"Just come on!"

Legolas pushed himself off the ground and followed me towards the archery field. Once we arrived, I pointed at the target that my arrow had hit.

Legolas's eyes widened considerably. "You hit a bulls-eye?"

Smiling like a child, I nodded. Legolas now had a huge smile plastered on his face. He let out a laugh and pulled me into an embrace. "I knew you could do it!" he exclaimed.

Legolas' arms were wrapped tightly around my back and were practically crushing my lungs. He also had my feet off the ground. "Legolas… I cannot breathe." I gasped.

"Sorry," he apologized, and set me on the ground.

I giggled, still excited about improving my archery skills. I never thought that this day would come, but here it was. Legolas and I stared at the target for a long time before he turned towards me. I looked up at him with questioning eyes for a moment. Quickly, he kissed my brow. Smiling, I embraced him again.

"You are an amazing teacher!" I exclaimed.

Grinning, he replied - "You need to sleep, it is late. Now come." He beckoned me away from the archery field and back towards our camp. When we made it back, I ran into my tent, and proceeded to throw myself on my bed. After that, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

_**Boromir's Point of View**_

I could not sleep at all. Rosel and I had gotten into a fight earlier and I could not push it out of my mind. The look of pain on her face when I told her I would not forgive her… No! She deserved it. She was the one who did not forgive me.

My thoughts swirled in my mind when I heard a thud. Quickly, I turned towards the area from whence it came. It was the archery field. I moved closer to investigate - it was Rosel. She wore a look of shock on her face as she stared at the target. Suddenly, she squealed and starting jumping. Then she sprinted away from the field. I wondered if she had seen or heard me.

Before I could even think of why she was so excited, she was back in the field. But this time Legolas was with her. The Elf looked at the target. "You hit a bulls-eye?" he questioned.

Rosel nodded.

Legolas smiled widely and picked Rosel up into a tight embrace. My jaw dropped a little. Jealousy overcame my thoughts, and I quickly turned and left the scene.

_**Rosel's Point of View**_

I woke up late the next morning. The sun was bright in the sky, and there were no clouds to be seen. Smiling, I threw on some clothes and went down to the dining hall.

"Rosel!" Pippin cried as I entered.

"Hello!" I greeted him.

"You slept all morning. It is already lunch! Legolas said not to wake you though. Speaking of Legolas, you will not believe what happened at breakfast today."

I frowned. I was already shocked I had slept all morning, but curiosity always seemed to be more prominent in my emotions. "What happened?" I asked.

"Boromir and Legolas got into a fight!"

"What?"

"I know! They were not at the table, but they were arguing about something across the room, and the next thing I know, Boromir punched Legolas! Aragorn had to break it up. Legolas has a black eye, and Boromir has a sprained wrist."

"Oh sweet Eru…"

"I know…"

"So you do not know why it happened?"

Pippin shook his head.

I sighed. "Where are they?"

"Legolas was going to lunch, but I have not seen Boromir."

"Of course you have not…" I muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing! Let us go to lunch. I need to see this black eye!"

I was silent as we walked towards the table. Why in Middle-earth would Boromir punch Legolas? Legolas would be hardly the person to start a fight. At least, I do not think… But Boromir has always been rather unpredictable. Still, what does he have against Legolas? He has never done anything to Boromir. Well, at least he sprained his wrist in the process.

I sat down calmly, trying to erase my thoughts about the fight. Quickly, I took a sip of water from the glass near my plate. When I looked up, I saw the black eye that Pippin told me about. It was so bad that I spit my water all over Legolas.

"Oh! I am _so_ sorry! I just… was not expecting it to be that bad…" I exclaimed, quickly grabbing my napkin to try and get the water off of Legolas' face. Several of the Fellowship members were trying to contain their laughter while I wiped his face.

"It is all right, Rosel. You did not mean it." He replied, amused by my reaction.

I felt color rise to my cheeks. Really, I did not expect it to be that… horrible. Legolas had gotten punched - _hard_. "A… are you sure?" I stammered.

"Positive."

I nodded once, and looked down to get some food. As I piled more food onto my plate, the color faded from my cheeks. I ate fast to try and see if I could find Boromir - He had to be somewhere.

After eating, I left the dining hall and ran along the paths to see if he was anywhere to be found. Even after three hours of searching, I could not find him. I wondered for a moment if he had actually left Lórien. Surely he would have told someone. Why did this whole thing with him have to be so confusing? It is not that hard to act… normal. After another hour of searching, I gave up all together. If he did not want to be found - he did not want to be found.

Before the sun set, I decided to go to the archery field and practice some more. I stopped by my tent to grab my bow and arrows, and sprinted towards the field. Once I made it, a familiar figure came into sight.

It was Boromir! "Hello," I greeted him cautiously.

He turned quickly. "Hello. I thought you might be here."

"Um… yes. Here I am…"

Boromir did not look upset. In fact, he looked sad. I was hoping he regretted punching Legolas. "I wanted to speak with you about…"

I cut him off. "Legolas? Look, I heard about what you did, and I do not think that was necessary."

He raised his eyebrow. "How do you know about that?"

"It is pretty obvious…" How would I not know about the fight if Legolas had a black eye? "Besides, I think you owe Legolas an apology."

Now he looked upset. "An apology? I was just minding my own business when I saw what happened!"

I was confused. "Wait, what?"

"You two! Here! Last night! What were you talking about?"

My jaw dropped slightly. "How did you know about that? And I was talking about the fact that you punched him in the face!"

"Oh, well, that is a bit different."

"Yes it is! Now why were you spying on me last night?"

"I told you, I was just walking when I heard something. So I turned to walk over here and you were with Legolas."

"Oh, well… um…" The air was tense. The awkwardness of the situation was palpable, and I was not appreciating it. "I have to go…" I finally stammered. Quickly, I turned to leave, but Boromir grabbed my arm and whirled me around. Before I could say anything, his lips crashed onto mine.

**A/N: Hi all! I'm back from Kazakhstan! It was fun, but I'm very happy to be back! Thank you so much to my amazing beta, Lady Demiya. She edited some of my past chapters, so if you want to go ahead and re-read them. Shout outs for my reviewers**

**Elvenprincess3019: Thanks! I really hope you enjoyed the update!**

**Now review people**


	9. Mistakes

Boromir's lips were on mine, and I was in shock. My eyes were wide, and I was refusing to be a willing participant in the kiss. I pushed him away quickly. "W-what are you doing?" I stammered.

"I…" he started.

"No! Just… I have to leave. Now," I exclaimed. Quickly, I turned and ran back towards the camp. Why did things just get more complicated? Tears were running down my face. I really liked Boromir, but I was not ready for… that. Especially after everything that happened here.

"Rosel?" Legolas called from his tent.

"Not now," I replied.

Legolas sighed. "Yes, now. We are leaving tomorrow. Pack your things tonight."

I whirled around towards the Elf. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes, please be ready to leave early."

I nodded and escaped into my tent. It was suppertime, but there was no way I was going. My face was blotchy, and my eyes were red from crying. The Fellowship would know that something had happened. The last thing I wanted to do was tell them about it.

I began to pack my things to try to keep my mind off what had occurred - it was not working at all. I regretted coming now, to be honest. My mother had betrayed me. But I think that I could have gotten over that quicker than all of this emotional and physical stress I was being put through. Especially the emotional part. My life had gotten so much more complicated now that I was out here with the Fellowship. Getting married off to that drunkard back home seemed rather pleasant now. Being chased by Orcs, and getting too much male attention was not really fun. Even though the stress of the Quest was getting to me, I just had to keep telling myself it would all be worth it in the end.

Homesickness was also starting to get the better of me. My sisters were everything to me before I left, and now I will not see them for however many more months I am on this journey. I knew that if I returned home now, that I would have an extremely hard time earning back Amoniel's trust. I had told her that I would always be there for her and never leave. Well, I did not stay true to that promise, and Amoniel was very much a grudge holder.

After I finished packing my things, I crawled into bed to try to get some sleep. Of course, it did not happen, but I had to try.

Aragorn came into my tent early the next morning to wake me, but of course he found me awake. "Is something troubling you, Rosel?" he asked, noticing I did not sleep.

"No. I just feel a little nervous about leaving," I lied. I seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

Aragorn nodded. "Come and get breakfast. We are leaving soon after." I nodded, and he left the tent. Sighing, I went to go change out of my nightgown.

I sprinted down to breakfast. To be honest, I was ready to leave, despite my sense of foreboding. Lórien had not been as wonderful as I had hoped. But of course, that was only because of personal drama.

Once I reached the dining hall, I saw Aragorn speaking with Haldir. The Elf noticed me, and smiled politely. I smiled back and gave a slight wave. Quickly, he excused himself and came over to me.

"Hello," I greeted him.

"Hello, I wanted to say goodbye before you left. I hope that you make it safely home, once it is all over. Your father would have had my head for letting you leave and go on this quest. But I feel that you have a bigger reason than you know for going," he replied.

I smiled widely. Despite my lack of sleep and drama, he made me feel better. "Thank you, Haldir. I wish you the best as well."

"I hope to see you again one day, Rosel."

"I as well."

With that, we said our final goodbyes and I went to go eat breakfast. Feeling cheerier than when I had woken up, I sat down. Of course, someone had to say something. "Rosel, have you seen Boromir? He did not even come back to his tent last night," Aragorn asked, staring at me intently.

My smile disappeared as I remembered what happened last night. "N-no, I have not seen him at all lately," I lied.

Aragorn knew I was lying though. "Rosel, where is he?"

"I told you, I do not know." That was the truth. I had not seen him since I ran away from the archery field.

Aragorn sighed, and continued eating breakfast. Legolas quickly came and sat by me. "Good morning," he greeted me. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really," I muttered in reply.

"Why is that?" he asked, putting food onto his plate.

"Stress," I stated, trying to hint an end to the conversation. Legolas shot me a look, but took my hint and stopped talking.

After a rather quiet breakfast, I tried to escape back to my tent without being stopped by Aragorn. That did not work. "Rosel," he called after me. I ignored him. "Rosel!" he called again.

I huffed, but turned towards him. "What?"

"I know something about Boromir is troubling you, now what is it?" he asked, seeming concerned.

"It is nothing - he has just not been himself lately," I replied curtly. "Now if you will excuse me…" I tried to escape from being questioned, but Aragorn gently pulled me back towards him.

"Rosel, are you going to tell me everything and anything that happened?"

"That will take all day."

"Then tell me why you are so upset."

"Because this really annoying man will not let me go back to my tent to get my things," I snapped.

He frowned, but did seem to understand I was not telling him anything. "Sorry, but I do not want anyone knowing what happened between Boromir and I," I said in an almost a whisper. Before he could say anything, I sprinted in the opposite direction.

By some miracle, I made it back to my tent without running into anybody. I grabbed my things quickly, and waited for someone to direct me to where we were going. Thankfully, I only had to wait about a minute before Legolas came.

"Come, Rosel. Lady Galadriel is going to see us off," the Elf said quickly.

I nodded, and followed Legolas. My bag was light, so I was able to keep up with him easily. The bow and arrows on my back were new, so I practiced balancing the weight on my body.

I felt a little nervous about meeting Lady Galadriel. Gimli seemed very taken with her, even though he was a dwarf. It was odd. We had found the rest of the Fellowship after about five minutes. They were with Haldir. "Where are we going?" I asked Legolas in a whisper.

"To the Silverlode. They have boats waiting for us," Legolas replied quietly.

Once we got to the boats, we divided ourselves up. Aragorn, Frodo and Sam were in one boat, Boromir, Merry and Pippin were in another, and Legolas, Gimli and I were in the last boat. Aragorn had divided us up, and I was a little grateful that he knew not to put me in the boat with Boromir.

We climbed into the boats swiftly. Sam did not look comfortable at all. His head was turned back to the shore, and he was clutching the sides as if his life depended on it. Silently, I thanked the Valar I knew how to swim. Legolas untied our mooring line and the current began to push us down stream. The boat shifted slightly under the weight change, but I was comfortable knowing that these boats had been specially crafted. That did not calm Sam's nerves though.

After a few minutes of letting the current pull us down stream, we heard a voice from the shore. Our heads snapped towards it, and we found that it was Lady Galadriel. My breath hitched for a moment. She was more beautiful than anyone could describe. Her hair shone in the morning sunlight, and was the color of the richest gold that framed her perfect face. She had eyes that shone like sapphires and seemed to be looking into your soul. I think I understood why Gimli was infatuated with her now. Anyone with eyes could see that she was beautiful.

I heard laughter like bells in my head. My reaction created quite a scene. If you jump and practically throw yourself backwards, then the boats will flip over, no matter how specially crafted it was. Legolas, Gimli and I went tumbling into the cold water. Thankfully, the water was not too deep near the shore, and everyone in my boat managed to pull themselves up. My soaked clothes clung to my skin, turning what were supposed to keep me warm into a cold blanket. I pulled my red hair back from my face and saw Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn's amused faces smiling at me. I stumbled backwards again, but Legolas caught me this time. Blood rose to my cheeks, making my face feel abnormally warm.

Silence. "Hello," I managed to stammer.

Legolas and Aragorn looked like they wanted to slap themselves. Gimli looked about as embarrassed as I did. The hobbits were attempting to contain their laughter. Boromir was a mixture of the hobbits and Aragorn.

"S-sorry about the… the boat… I just… um…" I tried to come up with a reason of why I jumped, because saying that I heard a voice in my mind did not sound great to say to Lady Galadriel.

'_Peace, child. I did not mean to frighten you. I am Lady Galadriel.' _The voice returned. I jumped slightly again, causing Legolas to jump as well. Lady Galadriel's laughter rang like chimes in my head. I tried to relax and control my breathing. "We have come to bid our last farewell, and to speed you with blessings from our land," the Lady spoke, brushing off what had happened.

"Though you have been our guests, you have not yet eaten with us, therefore to a parting feast, here between the flowing waters that will bear you far from Lórien," Celeborn said, motioning towards shore.

Boromir and Aragorn steered their boats towards the shore, but Legolas just took the mooring line and pulled the boat to shore. I stared after everyone for a moment wondering how they brushed off what had happened so quickly. Sighing, I dropped the matter, and climbed out of the river.

The food was laid out on gold and silver plates that sat upon the soft green grass. It looked delightful, and the smell floating up to the tops of the mallorn trees caused my stomach to growl. I resisted the urge to shove piles of food into my mouth - instead, I sat down next to Legolas. "So, I must ask, what was so frightening that you threw all of us into the river?" he asked with a smug grin on his face.

I rolled my eyes at his grin, but replied. "Lady Galadriel."

Legolas looked confused for a moment, then realization came to him and he began to laugh.

"What? It is not funny!" I exclaimed, beginning to help myself to some food.

"Actually, it is funny. Even though I am now soaked and cold because of it, it is still quiet amusing."

I huffed, stopped talking to him, and concentrated on enjoying my last decent meal before we set off on our trek once more. The idea of going off into the wild again frightened me. I was worried that something worse than Moria would happen, or something just as bad. In my mind, there was no hope we would make it to Mordor without anymore losses. And I was worrying that one of those losses could be… me, or Legolas, or Boromir. I honestly did not know if I could take losing someone close to me again.

Legolas seemed to notice that my ignoring him had turned into something else. "What is the matter?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Nothing. I just do not want to leave Lórien. It is safe and feels like home in a way."

Legolas nodded understandingly. "I know, but we must go on."

I nodded as well. "You are right."

Legolas and I ate the rest of our meal in silence. For some reason, I could not shake the sense of foreboding I had about leaving Lórien. It was growing swiftly in the back of my mind like a poisonous weed. My eyes darted around, searching for some form of comfort, but instead of comfort, I found Boromir's eyes locked onto me. He quickly turned back towards his plate, but my eyes lingered for a moment. They welled with tears and I turned my head down, hoping that my hair covered my face.

**A/N: Hello! I updated:) I'm hoping to have chapter ten done soon as well, and that will be an exciting chap :D. Thank you to my amazing beta Lady Demiya! She also has some awesome stories of her own right now. One is called Memoirs of a Princess, I'm helping her somewhat with that. It's an amazing fanfic go read it. Thanks to all who favorited, put me on alert and reviewed! Shout outs!**

**Rock'xanne: Thank you so much for the review! Hope this was soon enough.**

**Scousernic: Well you know guys...always jealous...Thank you so much for the review!**

**Review! As a late birthday present? Please?**


	10. The Anduin and Amon Hen

After Lord Celeborn spoke with us about our Journey, we all drank from the cup of farewell. Galadriel announced that we had gifts. My heart pounded knowing that this was real - that we were leaving. I wanted to stay for a while, but my heart was screaming at me to go. I continued telling myself what Haldir had told me earlier this morning to keep what little courage I had left in place.

Galadriel gave Aragorn a sheath for his sword, Anduril, as well as an emerald brooch. She gave Boromir a gold belt, and Merry and Pippin silver ones. Legolas and I received intricately carved bows, as well as arrows. I smiled, pleased with my gift. Sam received a box of soil for gardening purposes, and Gimli politely asked for a hair of Galadriel's. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips - She gave him three. Frodo received a small phial full of a clear liquid. Galadriel claimed it was the light of Earendil, and that it would help Frodo.

Once we had all received our gifts, we all said our final farewells to Lórien and made our way to the boats. We all piled in as slowly as we could. I knew that we all shared the same sadness of leaving.

Legolas began to row our boat down the river. Even though Lórien had been safe and felt a lot like home in many ways, I was somewhat glad to be rid of it. I had so much drama there; maybe being back on our Quest would distract Boromir. I had feelings for him, but he had not been himself as of late. He was so withdrawn in Lórien, and when I did forgive him, he refused to forgive me. Something was wrong, but I did not know what.

I sighed and leaned my head back. "Please do not flip the boat again, lassie," Gimli said jokingly.

Everyone laughed, including me. Everyone except for Boromir.

~/~

After seven days of floating down the Anduin, I was quite bored. It was nice to relax, but I felt like seven days was too long. Especially because it allowed me to think about things that I did not want to - like Boromir. He had not said one word to me since we left Lórien. Well, since he kissed me. It frustrated me, to say the least. I understood that he probably felt rejected, but when I tried to mend the problem yesterday, he just waved me off and went to get firewood.

I huffed. "What's wrong?" Legolas asked, in a low voice. Gimli was sleeping.

I just shook my head and shot a glance in Boromir's direction. He was paddling extremely close to Aragorn's boat. A little too close, if you ask me. I frowned and looked at Merry and Pippin. They both looked uncomfortable. They clung to the sides of the boat; Pippin's eyes were darting back and forth between Frodo and Boromir.

"What did he do?" Legolas inquired.

I turned my attention back to the Elf. "What makes you think he did anything?" I asked in return.

"When I asked what was wrong, you looked at him."

Part of me wanted to cross my arms and turn away, like a child. The other half of me desired to tell everything. But the last thing I needed was for someone to overhear us. So I did the first. I saw Legolas shake his head out of the corner of my eye. "You do not have to tell me, but I am willing to listen if you want to." That Elf was good. But I held firm and said nothing.

We sat in silence for the rest of the day. All of us had grown used to it though. And honestly when Legolas had even spoken to me, it was an oddity.

Legolas rowed gently into the riverbank. Gimli was awake by now and we both climbed out of the boat. I turned, pulled the boat in closer and tied the mooring line to a tree stump close to the shore. Legolas agilely jumped from the boat to the shore once I was finished. I smiled to myself, proud that I had figured out how to tie a decent knot after so many days.

I ate my dinner alone, with my back against a large tree. It felt good to be by myself after being cramped into a boat all day. The sunset was magnificent to watch as well. The blend of pinks, oranges and grey created a beautiful scene. I sighed in content. This was a better day on our journey down the Anduin.

I heard foot falls behind my tree, so I poked my head out to see who it was. It was Legolas. "Did you wish to speak with me?" he asked politely, taking a seat next to me.

I stared at my plate for a moment, contemplating if I did want to talk with him. Finally, I gave in. I nodded. "He… he kissed me…" I whispered.

Legolas' eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. "I expected something else," he stated, still in shock. "Do you think I should talk to him? If Aragorn knew about this…"

"Do not even think about telling Aragorn. I will personally kill you if you say anything to anyone. This conversation stays here."

"You never answered my question; do you wish for me to talk with Boromir?"

I shook my head. "No, he will probably hurt you again," I replied, motioning to his eye. It was mostly healed, but there was still a light shade of blue that remained.

"He caught me off guard."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course."

"Rosel, this is a serious matter. We cannot have anything hinder our Quest. Including… this."

I nodded in agreement. "I know, but I think that if anyone else knew, bad things would happen."

"From what I am gathering, he did not have your consent."

I shook my head meekly.

"I am speaking with him and Aragorn this instant," he said, pushing himself off the ground.

"NO!" I cried and lunged for his leg. Legolas tumbled over, and at this point, the Fellowship was staring at us.

"Are you two well?" Sam spoke up.

"Elves…" I heard Gimli murmur.

"Absolutely perfect," I muttered. Before Legolas said anything, I shot him a warning look. We both got off the forest floor and washed our dishes in the river. "If you say one word," I warned Legolas in a low voice.

"You will kill me?" he asked in reply.

"Yes. Slowly and painfully."

A smile tugged at his lips.

"It is not funny. I will do it," I snapped.

He nodded, but the smile did not leave.

Aragorn approached us when we finished drying our plates. "We are journeying tonight with on the boats. We still have many leagues to travel." Legolas seemed doubtful of Aragorn's plan, but I was eager to get off the river as soon as possible.

When we all were finished packing our things, we loaded into the boats once more. Night had already fallen and I wished to sleep but I was first watch on my boat. We were not paddling, just floating downstream. It was peaceful.

I let my mind wander carelessly not bothering to look ahead of the boat - just watching the moon. When the current picked up, I looked in front of the boat. There were dark forms of rocks and the sound of rushing water.

My eyes widened, and I went to go wake Legolas. "Legolas!" I cried, shaking him.

His eyes opened lazily. "What is it?"

"There are…" I was cut off when the boat swung violently to the left, which woke Gimli up. Legolas shot up and found the paddle quickly.

"Aragorn!" Boromir cried, "This is madness! We cannot dare the Rapids by night! But no boat can live in Sarn Gebir, be it day or night."

So we _had _hit the rapids, despite Aragorn saying it was many leagues from here. "Back! Back! Turn if you can!" Aragorn ordered.

I crawled around the small boat, feeling for a paddle to help bring us about. In my panic, I managed to find one for Gimli and me. We wasted no time putting them to good use. I thrust my oar into the river and held it firm, refusing the current in its urge to move it. The boat in response began to turn against the current. All three of us began rowing with all our might to get away from the rapids.

We had made very little headway and the current was carrying us toward the eastern shore. The fact that every now and then I could see a dark figure moving in between the trees was driving me to paddle harder against the current. But once we were close enough, arrows flew out from the trees. Instinctively, I ducked, but tried to keep rowing as best I could. "_Yrch!_" Legolas cried in elvish.

"Orcs!" Gimli translated.

Arrows whizzed by us every so often, but we kept rowing. My arms were growing sore and I could feel the blisters forming on my hands, but I ignored my body's protests against the labor. I had to keep paddling for our lives. Nothing else mattered.

After many hours, the firing of arrows ceased and we became a little more relaxed. The vigorous paddling was still taking a toll on us. "We are heading now to the western shore," Legolas said quietly, shifting his paddle. I followed his lead.

Once we were close enough to the shore, Legolas hopped onto it. As he did, I felt a horrible chill run down my spine. I dreaded the area around me, but I did not know why. There was an evil radiating from it that seemed too strong to be true. Legolas looked up for a moment. I followed his gaze intently. All I saw were the stars and the dimly lit crescent moon, and then nothing. It was all black and a deafening shriek echoed through the night. Before the cry was finished, Legolas shot the creature. The shriek turned into one of pain. The darkness that had covered us swerved away across the Anduin.

My gaze lingered on the eastern shore for a moment before I felt Legolas return into the boat.

"We will travel upstream for a while until we can find somewhere to rest," Aragorn said, beginning to paddle once more.

We finally found a small bay. Relieved, I stopped paddling at once. Legolas tied our boat to a small tree near us while Gimli proceeded to sleep. I assessed the damage done from the rowing. Several blisters were scattered across my hands and my whole body ached. That was the most strength I had summoned in all my life. I lay down cautiously, attempting not to rock the boat, and fell into a deep slumber.

The next day, after much arguing, we decided that we had to walk along the riverbank until we passed Sarn Gebir. According to Boromir, no one had made it out alive. And after last night, even though we did not enter the Rapids, I believed him. The image of the sharp rocks ran through my mind. I shook it off quickly and climbed out of the boat.

Quickly, we began to unload them. We would have to carry our luggage and the boats down. Unloading the boats proved difficult carrying them for two hours was going to be grueling. Thankfully, the boats were light, but the baggage proved otherwise.

It was night once more when we passed Sarn Gebir. We pushed the boat near the river and made camp. Once I lay down I was asleep.

The next day, we piled into the boats once more and set off down the river. I was rather bored until Legolas' gaze turned into one of wonder. I pulled my gaze away from the riverbank to down the river, and there were two gargantuan statues of Men. My eyes widened in awe at the grey stone figures. Their left hands were put out, as if to command you to halt, and in their right hands, they bore an axe. The statues had been damaged from the years, but they still held a splendor.

"Behold the Argonath, the Pillars of Kings!" Aragorn announced. I wondered how the two statues had been carved at all, when Aragorn gave an order. "We shall pass them soon. Keep the boats in line, and as far apart as you can! Hold the middle of the stream!"

When we passed the Argonath, we entered a dark chasm. I could hear Sam complaining from the other boat. Not that I blamed him - this was not pleasant at all. My only comfort was that Legolas had a great advantage because of his sight.

After what seemed like forever, our boats were back into the afternoon sun. I sighed in relief and leaned back against the boat. The Falls of Rauros could be heard from where we were stationed. It was somewhat relaxing to know we were leaving the river soon. Our Quest had started a new chapter.

"We make for Amon Hen," Legolas said, paddling our boat into the left bank.

After we made camp, I soon fell asleep. They days were taking a great toll on my body.

"_No!" I heard a woman shriek. My head instinctively turned toward the voice. It was me. My face was covered in orc blood and I was running. I followed my trail and saw Boromir fighting off the Orcs, but there was one positioned to fire an arrow on top of a hill. But this was no ordinary Orc. It was much larger than the others were, and it had a target. He let the arrow fly, and then I heard a deafening screech. _

My eyes flew open and began scanning the camp. That was the worst nightmare I had ever had. Dawn had broken, and already several members of the Fellowship were awake.

I walked toward the small circle and sat down. "We must make the decision to go to Minas Tirith or to Mordor, today. Or will we break the Fellowship and have some go to Gondor, and others to Mordor?" Aragorn finally spoke.

I inhaled a sharp breath. Boromir had been pressing to go to Gondor ever since we left in Lórien. It seemed like a good idea to attack Mordor from there. But there were some benefits of going alone into Mordor as well. Of course, the journey would be long and treacherous, but it had to be done. I was undecided.

"Well, Frodo, you are the Ring bearer - appointed by the council. I cannot advise you in this matter," Aragorn said, turning to the little Hobbit.

Frodo looked conflicted, but spoke, "Give me an hour alone, I will make the decision then."

Aragorn agreed with the Hobbit and Frodo ran off into the woods.

I sat pondering for a moment. Gondor seemed like a wonderful idea. We could have decent meals, baths and a bed. But comfort did not matter. What mattered was getting the Ring to Mordor. Unfortunately, my desire for comfort was clouding my ability to make a good decision. If the Ring was taken to Gondor, who was to say that it would ever be taken to Mordor? On top of that, Boromir would be leading the way, and if it was just us, who knows what could happen.

I stayed with my thoughts for a few hours and failed to notice that Boromir had gone into the woods, and that Frodo had still not returned. We all began to get anxious. It was not a secret that the Ring was taking a hold of Boromir, and my nightmare was no comfort to his disappearance. My breathing picked up, but when Boromir emerged from the woods, it slowed.

"Where have you been, Boromir?" Aragorn questioned. "Have you seen Frodo?"

"Yes, I found him some way up the hill. I urged him to come to Minas Tirith, but he grew angry and vanished. He must have put the Ring on. I thought he would come back to you," Boromir replied, keeping his head low. He seemed ashamed.

"Is that all?" Aragorn asked sharply.

"Yes."

"How long has it been since you have seen Frodo last?"

"A half an hour or an hour. I do not know!" Boromir buried his face in his hands. He was very upset with himself.

"An hour since he vanished! We must try and find him, come on!" Sam exclaimed.

"Wait a moment!" Aragorn called after the Hobbits. Merry and Pippin had run the opposite direction of Sam. "We will all be scattered and lost," Aragorn muttered, clearly disgruntled by the situation.

"I do not know what role you played in this, Boromir. But help now - go and defend Merry and Pippin," Aragorn ordered. Boromir obeyed. My stomach was tied in knots. I could not let him leave. He had been cold to me - yet. But my nightmare… and he was still my friend. It was the Ring that was doing this to him. I just knew it.

I looked at the spot that Boromir had been standing for a moment. "Rosel, stay with Legolas…" Aragorn began, but I ran after Boromir.

"ROSEL!" I heard Legolas cry behind me. I ignored him and continued following Boromir.

I went as fast as my legs could carry me up the hill. My heart threatened to break my ribs - it was beating so hard. It was the only sound I could hear. So when an Orc appeared in front of me, I was shocked. I reached for my dagger and in a fluid movement, sliced its jugular. Orc blood splattered everywhere, but my legs began to carry me further up the hill. I sliced down more Orcs and desperately wanted to use my new bow, but did not have anytime to reach for it.

I was fighting like a puppet of sorts. My mind was speaking the same words to me, over and over. _'Duck, slice, kick, turn, duck…'_ Occasionally it would tell me to attempt to reach for my bow, but another Orc would attack me, and the instructions were reread.

Finally, I had an opening to reach for my bow. I pulled it off my back and began to shoot. My aim was nowhere near Legolas', but I was killing Orcs. My victory was short lived, however. My arrows disappeared quicker than I had expected and I did not have time to pick them out of the Orc corpses. Once I had an opening, I slung my bow back over my shoulder and pulled out my dagger. While I was fighting, I was running after Boromir as well. My pace quickened when I heard a horn. It had to be the Horn of Gondor. Boromir was in grave danger.

After what seemed like a lifetime, I found him. My happiness was fleeting because I knew where we were. This was the scene from my dream. My breathing picked up tremendously. I looked towards the hill, and almost on cue, the Orc from my dream prepared to fire an arrow at Boromir.

"NO!" I screamed, running towards him. I had no idea what I was going to do when I reached him, but I did not care.

Everything was in slow motion. My heart raced. I was running so fast that I could not feel my legs, but I did not notice. All that mattered was that I made it to Boromir. I reached him. Yes, I did it. I turned to face him. I do not know why I did what I did, but the next moment an unbearable pain ripped through my left shoulder. I screeched, and everything went black.

**A/N: Hello! I worked hard writing this chapter for sure, so reviews are much appreciated. Thank you so much to my amazing beta, Lady Demiya! She's also an amazing author, go check out some of her stories. Thank you to everyone who put me on alert, favorited and reviewed! Shout outs :D.**

**Han: **** I hope you liked the chapter **

**Lady Fireflower: Thank you very much! I'm glad you like the story; hope you liked the update!**

**Review please**


	11. Henneth Annun

I was swaying slightly. My body was pressed against heavy armor and the left half of my body was warm. I wondered for a moment if I was dead, but the fire like pain in my shoulder told me otherwise.

"Boromir?" I heard a man call. For a moment, I panicked. Boromir - was he all right?

"Faramir!" Boromir greeted the man. Realization hit me. This was his younger brother. Were we in Gondor?

"You go to Rivendell to seek answers for your dreams, and you come back with an injured elleth?"

"Her name is Rosel," Boromir replied, I felt him lift me slightly. "She needs medicine. She ran in front of an Uruk who almost took my life."

So Boromir was fine - I had prevented my nightmare from happening. Relief flooded through me. I had to see for myself though, so I opened my eyes.

Boromir was looking at Faramir and did not even notice that I was conscious. However, Faramir did. He looked almost exactly like his brother. The same dark hair and grey eyes, but Boromir was much broader than Faramir. He stared at me curiously for a moment, and I flushed under his gaze. I looked like a mess. I was dirty from the harsh days in the wild and probably still had Orc blood all over my clothes. Quickly, I turned my gaze back to Boromir who was looking at me also. A flurry of emotion was written on his face. Guilt, fear, but a glimmer of a smile was there.

I smiled at him, despite the aching in my shoulder.

"We should get her to Henneth Annun," Faramir said, breaking the silence. He turned his back to Boromir and me and started walking. Boromir caught up to him quickly.

"What happened?" I asked softly. I was confused. One moment we were fighting for our lives on Amon Hen, and now I was with Boromir and his brother somewhere in Gondor.

"When you jumped in front of me, the Uruk shot you. Then the enemy took Merry and Pippin. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli came moments later. Legolas was angry with me because I let you get hurt." I almost protested this, but let him continue. "Aragorn got him to calm down and we decided it was best to get you somewhere safe where you could be tended to. Legolas wanted to take you back to Lórien, but it was too far away. So I volunteered to take you to Henneth Annun," Boromir explained calmly.

"What about Merry and Pippin?" I asked, slightly panicking.

"Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are tracking the Uruks that took them. Hopefully they will retrieve them."

"And Frodo and Sam?"

Boromir winced at Frodo's name. "They are traveling to Mordor alone."

Even though I was deeply concerned about Merry and Pippin, I sighed in relief. I knew where everyone was. I knew what had happened. I knew that the Ring would be destroyed - Frodo was strong, he could do it. And if the rest of our friends were tracking Merry and Pippin, they would surely be all right.

It took us another hour before we finally arrived at Henneth Annun, and the only indication that I had made it was that several men were prepared to fire arrows at us. Terrified, I buried my face in Boromir's chest.

"My Lords Boromir and Faramir," I heard a man speak.

"We need to take the girl to Henneth Annun, she is badly injured," Boromir ordered.

I poked my head out. The men were clearly confused, but the arrows were gone. My pointed ears had tipped them off about my elvish decent, and I am sure they were wondering what the Steward's son was doing with me.

One of the men reached for a piece of cloth hanging out of his pocket and came toward me. I had no idea what they intended on doing with it, so I pressed my weight into Boromir, attempting to communicate that I did not want the stranger any closer. He seemed to get the message. "She does not need to be blindfolded," Boromir said, taking a step back.

The men looked even more confused. Faramir was among the confused as well.

"She saved my life, we can trust her," Boromir explained.

"The Steward's orders…" the man with the cloth began.

"Does she really look that threatening? She needs medicine - now," Boromir snapped.

The men looked at each other nervously, but obeyed. They led us for a few minutes toward a tall waterfall. I stared at it in wonder. Despite my injury, it was times like these that made me somewhat happy that I had left my home to go on this adventure.

I closed my eyes and rested my head against Boromir's chest and listened to his heart beat along with the sound of the waterfall. It was so peaceful. If it were not for my wound, I would have drifted into sleep.

When I opened my eyes, we had arrived. We were in a cavern behind the waterfall. And by behind the waterfall, I mean that I could reach out and touch the water. The waterfall concealed us from the rest of the world. The cavern seemed to glow brightly from the sun that passed through the water. It was lovely.

"Take her to a healer," I heard Boromir order, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Can you walk, my Lady?" one of the men asked.

"Er… I am not sure," I replied. Boromir set me down gently on my feet. I stumbled a bit at first, but regained my balance. "I guess so," I said, motioning for him to take me to a healer.

We arrived in a small room. It had a low roof and the floor was very uneven. I cautiously walked across it, careful not to trip and fall. "Who is this?" a man who was tending to some herbs asked.

"She was brought by Lord Boromir, Lady…"

"Rosel," I finished.

The man who brought me was told to leave. Who I assumed to be the healer walked towards me. "What happened?" he asked.

"I was shot by an Uruk-Hai," I replied timidly. I wished Boromir was with me.

"Where?"

"My left shoulder."

The healer motioned for me to sit on a small bed in the center of the room. I obeyed. I felt him look at the small hole in my tunic where the arrow had hit me. He grunted. "Lord Boromir did not do a good job of stopping the bleeding… I will put a small amount of medicine on the wound and bandage it up. You got lucky, it could have festered badly, or the arrow could have been poisoned."

Relief flooded through me. It still hurt, but I would not be losing a limb.

"So, Lady Rosel," the healer began. "How do you know Lord Boromir? Are you from Imladris?"

"No. I lived in a small village near there," I replied. I did not know how to explain about how I knew Boromir.

"I did not know Elves had villages…" he murmured.

"I lived with my mother and my sisters. My mother is not an Elf."

He raised his eyebrows. "You are a member of a very uncommon race, Lady Rosel."

I smiled. "Just Rosel."

"I noticed you did not answer my other question."

"I ran away and he found me wandering in the woods," I answered. It was not a lie; it just was not the whole truth.

"Yet another mystery… why did you run away?" He was nosy. I liked him less, even if he was helping me. I did not even know his name!

"I would feel a little more comfortable speaking with you if I knew your name," I replied smoothly.

He grinned. "I am Malgelir."

"I needed to leave. The village was rather boring. So I left and wandered in the woods, and Bor… Lord Boromir found me."

Malgelir nodded. "You are an interesting person, Lady Rosel. I have your medicine made." He began walking towards me. "Put it on everyday and I have new bandage for it. It will scar, unfortunately. But wear it proudly," he added with a grin.

I smiled back. "Thank you Lord Malgelir."

"My pleasure, Lady Rosel. If it does not heal within two weeks, I will make more for you."

I nodded and he escorted me to the door. Once I left, I quickly went to find Boromir. I had to speak with him. about everything. I had already forgiven him, but I still had to tell him. In my mind, our friendship would not be set straight unless I got the chance to speak with him. Of course, I was still deciding if I thought of him as a friend or more. But I did not want to take the risk. My emotions were always so fragile…

"Lady Rosel!" I heard a familiar voice call. It was Faramir.

"Yes, my Lord?" I hated going back to a somewhat formal environment.

"My brother has asked not to see you," he said.

The shock from those eight simple words was enough to crush me. "W-what?" I stammered. "Why?"

"I do not know, but he seemed sincere about his request."

"But… I _want_ to see him!" I exclaimed.

Faramir looked upset as well. "I am sorry, but if it makes you feel better, I am not even allowed to see him. Something else happened, but he will not speak of it."

Something else… I thought for a moment about what it could be. Then I remembered before Merry and Pippin went to go find Frodo how ashamed he looked - the guilt on his face. I inhaled a sharp breath. "I know what it is… sort of," I told Faramir. "I need to speak with him."

"But…" he began.

"Show me where his room is and I will talk to him."

"Are you sure you know what it is?" he asked in almost a whisper.

I nodded.

"Fine. I wish to have my brother back, and if this helps, I will be most gracious."

I followed Faramir down a narrow corridor and after we took several turns, we arrived at a door. "I will not even mention your name," I said, trying to settle his unsaid fear. He gave me a small smile.

"Thank you."

I nodded and he left the hall quickly. As quietly as I could, I reached for the door, but before I could even touch it, it swung open and hit me square on the forehead. I yelped loudly and fell backwards. Boromir stared at me for a moment and then rushed to my side.

"Rosel! Are you all right? Did I hit you?" he bombarded me with questions.

The world was spinning and I could feel a pulse in my head. I managed to focus my eyes on Boromir though. "I think I am all right…" I managed to say. "You hit me with your door."

"I am so sorry," he apologized.

I smiled at him. "I am fine - I will only have a small bump on my head."

"I doubt it will be small."

"It will not need tending to, is what I mean."

Boromir looked unconvinced but helped me to my feet anyway. "I did not wish to see you..." he said in a low voice.

The words hurt even more coming from his mouth. I wondered if his behavior in Lórien was the Ring's fault. But I remembered the look of shame and guilt that he wore the day at Amon Hen. _'It _was_ the Ring,'_ I reminded myself. I inhaled sharply. "That is why I am here," I replied, earning a confused look from Boromir. "I wanted to speak with you about what happened at Amon Hen."

Boromir's face twisted with guilt, and he looked like he wanted to run away. His grey eyes looked into my blue ones, sad and ashamed. "I do not know how you can forgive me for all that I have done to you. I did not wish to see you, because I know that you suffered on my behalf, and you did not deserve it. It pains me to look at you and see how hurt you are because of my weakness."

I shook my head. "No, no, no. No," I protested. "You… you did nothing wrong."

"Yes, I made a grave mistake. Before… before Merry and Pippin ran away, I tried to take the Ring from Frodo," Boromir barely whispered and refused to meet my gaze.

I was dazed for a moment. Suddenly, I understood his guilt, but unlike him, I understood it was not his fault. The Ring had pushed him to that point! He had to know that.

"Look at me," I commanded him. His eyes remained fixed on the stone floor. Instead of waiting for him to comply, I pulled his gaze toward me. He looked at me as if he were in physical pain. "Now, listen to me. That was not you. In Lórien and when you tried to take the Ring, that was another man in your body. The Ring saw your desire to defend your people and it twisted it. You _cannot_ blame yourself for what happened," I stated firmly. Silence covered the hallway for a moment, until Boromir began to sob.

There was something about seeing one of the largest and strongest men you have ever met cry. It made you feel sad, confused and almost scared. If something had reduced this man to tears, it had to be frightening. I took a step forward, and despite my shoulder screaming at me not to, I wrapped my arms around him.

"It was not your fault," I repeated, trying to console him. After I said that, his arms wrapped around my waist. I shuddered at his touch.

Once he stopped sobbing, he pulled away. Tears still streamed down his face. I stood up on my tiptoes and wiped them away gently with my thumb. "There," I breathed.

Without warning, Boromir embraced me, and this time he lifted me off my feet so that I was his height. I smiled and slowly eased my arms around his neck. It was easier on my shoulder. Suddenly, I realized that I could turn our friendship into something more. All I had to do was kiss his cheek, which happened to be right next to me. My heart started beating faster, and I thought of everything that had happened to us. I knew that he had a romantic interest in me. He had kissed me before. But I said it earlier - everything that had happened in Lórien was not him. Who knew if he meant it when he kissed me?

We heard footsteps coming down the corridor. He set me down, placed a hand on my good shoulder and gave me a weak smile. "I am tired," he began. "I am going to retire; I shall see you in the morning."

All I could do was give him my most winning smile and nod. He retreated into his room, leaving me outside with a bump on my head and a broken heart.

**A/N: Hello :D. I have been running around with my plot bunny and my amazing beta all week to get updating! Thank you so much Lady Demiya! YOU ARE AWESOME! Speaking of who is awesome, my reviewers belong in that category as well. The other awesome people are the people who put me on alert and favorited me too :D. Shout outs!**

**Lady Fireflower: Thank you so much! I just couldn't kill Boromir… you know how it is :D**

**Scousernic: Hope this was soon enough! Thanks so much for the review.**

**Lady Demiya: Well, you see, I have this amazing beta… :D**

**Review please! It makes me happy. **


	12. Stories

The sun beamed in through the small window, which was really more of a hole in the wall. I squinted, adjusting my eyes to the light.

My shoulder ached, but at least it was better. I took the medicine off the small desk in my room and stretched my right arm as far as I could to apply the paste. After I rubbed it in, I managed to find some clean clothes.

I ran my fingers through my red curls in front of a mirror. As I studied myself, I noticed that my skin had gotten a little darker. It was not much, but the change was evident. Quickly, I examined my face for any freckles, but after a moment, I felt silly. Why should I care? I was worrying about my skin rather than the nearly endless list of things that were wrong with the world. But, I could not help to feel self conscious about the large blue bump on my forehead. I frowned and left the room.

"Rosel!" Boromir called.

I whirled toward his voice and offered him a wide smile. He looked cheerier than yesterday, yet a glint of guilt remained in his eyes. I chose to ignore it and gave him a quick embrace.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked politely.

I nodded. "Quite. It felt wonderful to go to bed clean."

He grinned. "Good. I am glad to hear you are comfortable here." His gaze focused past me for a moment, but reverted back to me. "Come, we should go eat breakfast."

Breakfast was pleasant. The men were being kind to me and Boromir never seemed to stray to far from my side. He made me feel a little more at ease here. Faramir seemed very curious about me. Not that I blamed him, I am sure he was not expecting his brother to return with someone - let alone a woman.

"Brother," Faramir began. "When do you plan on returning to Minas Tirith? I sent word to father yesterday that you were here."

"I am not sure, hopefully soon. It depends on when Malgelir says Rosel is fit to ride," Boromir replied, looking at me.

My heart skipped a beat. He wanted me to go to Minas Tirith with him! I do not know why I got so nervous after he said that, but I could not help feel excited at the same time. We had been through much together, it felt comforting knowing that we would be staying with each other.

"I feel much better," I finally commented. It was the truth; the paste had relieved a lot of the pain. Now that the opportunity to go to Minas Tirith was before me, I was eager to leave. I had been told all about its splendor before, and I greatly desired to see it with my own eyes.

Boromir smiled at my reply. "Good, I wish to leave soon, but not until your shoulder is healed."

Faramir began to speak with his brother about the defenses at Osgiliath, for which I was grateful because I was as red as a strawberry. I attempted to keep up with the conversation, but it had gotten so technical that I only understood a few of the words. Both of the brothers laughed when they noticed the lost look I was wearing.

"I apologize. I forget that you have little knowledge of war," Boromir said, smiling.

I gladly returned it. "It is all right. I think I am going to explore anyways."

Boromir nodded and nudged me towards a hall. "Be back in time for lunch."

I walked slowly down the hall, taking in the beauty. The waterfall made the sun reflect the brilliant colors that were hidden in the stonewalls. It almost made me dizzy looking at all the colors. All different shades of yellows, reds, oranges and pinks blended and sparkled. I doubted that even the most talented artist could capture the colors correctly. Content, I leaned my back against the wall and continued to watch the colors in awe.

"It is beautiful, is it not?" a familiar voice said.

I turned towards it and found Malgelir. "Very," I replied. "I find it hard to believe that this is a military outpost."

"I as well, but many returned injured from skirmishes with Orcs and the Harad. Ithilien is no longer safe. The only comfort we have in Henneth Annun is secrecy. The Enemy knows nothing of this outpost."

"That is rather lucky, I suppose. You could not do much if the Enemy found you here. You would be trapped."

Malgelir nodded in agreement. "That would not be fortunate." Silence entered the hall for several minutes before Malgelir spoke again. "I am very curious about you, Lady Rosel. You are a member of a race that is almost unheard of. You ran away from home and were picked up by Lord Boromir. And not only that, you jumped in front of an arrow to save his life. I feel that there is much to your story."

My story. My story? I was at a loss for words. Malgelir may have been more inquisitive than Pippin, but in a different way. He was more interested in the people around them while Pippin was interested in his environment and the objects around him. Finally, I found a way to reply to him. "I am only twenty-six; I still think many of my pages are blank."

"I think that is a terrible way to see your story."

I frowned, confused. "Why is that?"

"You do not know what tomorrow brings - it could bring death. You do not know how many 'pages' you have left, for all you know, your pages are filled."

I thought about his words. They were filled with truth. A few months ago, this is not where I thought I would be. In Ithilien of all the places! I never thought I would get to see Caras Galadhon after my father died, and I certainly did not think I would meet so many wonderful people.

"Your words are full of wisdom. I never thought of it that way."

Malgelir gave me a wry smile. "Not many people do, Lady Rosel. My wife taught me those words and I have tried to live them as best I can."

"So you do have a family. Do you have any children?"

"I have four daughters."

I smiled at the thought of how similar our families' situations were. I just hoped that his family never has to deal with losing him. Luckily, he was a healer and would not be put in much peril. "I have three younger sisters at home."

Malgelir grinned. "Which parent is an Elf? I am afraid I have already forgotten."

"My father was."

"Was?"

"He is dead."

"Oh, I am so sorry. At least you have a large family. Although I am rather surprised that you ran away if you have three younger sisters."

My heart sank. Every time my sisters entered my thoughts, I felt as if I had failed them. "I am too. They are much younger than I am. The oldest one turns eight tomorrow," I recalled Amoniel's birthday. A tear slid down my cheek.

"I think your parents had second thoughts about having another one after you."

I burst into laughter. "That is one way to look at it, I suppose."

"I mean, you jump in front of arrows instead of just pushing the man! I would have second thoughts if my daughter was suicidal."

My laughter continued. "I was not exactly suicidal when I was seventeen. This is just a recent development."

"Do all young ladies go through this phase?" he asked, prolonging the joke.

"No, I am just an oddity."

"In every sense of the word."

I giggled. Despite his almost insufferable curiosity, Malgelir was good company.

"How long have you been stationed at Henneth Annun?" I asked.

"Two years in a little over a month. But I get leave every now and then," he replied, seeming lost in thought. I was almost sure he was thinking of his family. "How long has it been since you took up jumping in front of arrows?" he asked, his humor returning.

I grinned. "About two months. And are you ever going to let me live that down?"

"Probably not - even if you did save Lord Boromir's life."

I laughed. "Well, since you intended on jibing at me for the rest of my life, you can stop addressing me as 'Lady Rosel'."

"As you wish, Rosel."

We stayed like that for hours, talking to each other about our stories and basking in the beauty of the waterfall. The call for lunch interrupted our conversation. We headed back to the main room and ate. It did not take long for Boromir to find me.

"How was your walk?" he asked, almost taking no note of Malgelir.

"I did not get very far before I sat down. The hallway down there is very pretty. The colors are magnificent! Malgelir found me and we started talking shortly after," I replied.

Boromir shot a glance at Malgelir, and it was not a kind one. "When do you think she will be able to ride again?" he asked in a dangerously low tone.

"In three days, my Lord," Malgelir replied politely, seeming unshaken by Boromir's tone.

"That is all?" I asked, surprised. I thought it would be at least two weeks.

"That medicine I gave you is very strong. Not only does it alleviate the pain and prevent it from festering, but it speeds the healing process as well."

I was impressed. Malgelir was an excellent healer if I was going to be fit to ride in a few days. Before we lapsed into an awkward silence, several men approached Malgelir to whisk him back to his duty. He said farewell quickly and walked swiftly down the hall.

I turned to Boromir once he was out of earshot. "What was that?" I asked.

"What was what?" he asked in reply innocently.

"You know exactly what I am talking about. Why were you cross to Malgelir?"

He was silent for a moment, but I waited patiently for his answer. All he did was shake his head. "Forget it," he snapped. I stepped back. His hostility frightened me and it instantly reminded me of Lórien. But his expression changed when he saw the pained look on my face.

"Wait, Rosel," Boromir started. I shook my head and turned my back to him. After a deep breath, I went back to my room. But he followed me. "Please, I am so sorry," he repeated for the third time.

My eyelids closed and I sighed. I looked up at him, signaling for him to continue his apology. "Rosel, I value our friendship too much to let anything get in the way of it…" After that, I felt like I could not hear any other words that came out of his mouth.

Friendship - I should not have been so upset by that little word. Especially because it was such a kind word. But it was the cause for so many tears. I had been so stupid! Did I really think that Boromir of Gondor was going to even _think _about me in a romantic way? I had fooled myself. He was going to go back to Minas Tirith, and once the War was over, he would end up marrying a Lady of the Court. Not some insignificant village girl that ran away from home because she was too scared to face her mother. Sure, he kissed me. But I had convinced myself that everything that had happened in Lórien was the Ring.

Before he even finished his apology, I opened the door to my room, went inside, and then slammed it.

_**Boromir's Point of View**_

The door shut in my face. I knew that after I had begun my apology, Rosel was not listening, but I had to continue anyway. The blank expression on her face had told me enough - she was hurt. I knew she thought that she had a friend in Malgelir, but she did not know anything about him.

Malgelir had quite the reputation among the Rangers of Ithilien. If what Faramir had told me about him was true, then he enjoyed a woman's company. The fact that he was being friendly towards Rosel, worried me deeply. I did not want to see her be degraded and abused by him. If it meant hurting her, then I would have to. It pained me to do it, but I had to protect her.

I pressed my ear to the wooden door and listened. Rosel was still sobbing. If this reaction was solely about Malgelir, then she was more sensitive than I thought.

"Rosel?" I needed to talk to her.

"Go away!" she cried.

The words stung. "No, not until you tell me why you are so upset. I know that me being rude to Malgelir has not caused you to lock yourself in your room and cry."

Silence.

"Rosel?"

More silence.

"Please, say something."

"I have _nothing_ to say," came her muffled reply.

"Yes, you do. I did something to upset you, and you refuse to tell me what it is."

In reply, the door opened a crack. One of her ocean blue eyes and red ringlets were all I saw. When she spoke, she avoided what I had done and turned the subject back to Malgelir. "You did the same thing with Legolas."

Legolas and Malgelir were two very different people. Legolas was like her brother in many ways. I had been very jealous of his close relationship with Rosel, but I was now over it. Malgelir was obviously up to no good. "That's different," I protested.

"No it is not. You are being rude and…"

"That is beside the point, Rosel," I interrupted her. "What did I do?"

Her curls hid her face and her hands gripped the sides of the doors so hard that her knuckles were turning white. My hand reached for her's, but she pulled it back.

"That," she began. "Is exactly what you did." And slammed the door.

**A/N: Hi! My story is ALMOST a teenager, it's so exciting! Thanks so much to my amazing Beta, Lady Demiya! Thanks to everyone who put me on alert and favorited :D. **

**Please Review! They make me so happy!**


	13. Regrets

_**Rosel's Point of View**_

I had remained in my room during the afternoon of the previous day and all day today. Although my confrontation with Boromir yesterday had been horrible, it was not the reason for my withdrawal. It was Amoniel's birthday that left me feeling more guilty than usual about leaving home. I needed a drink badly.

Amoniel would not be getting a birthday celebration because I was always responsible for them, unless my father happened to be home. It never was a big event, but I would make a cake and we would relax and tell stories all day. I wanted to smother myself with my pillow, because I knew that Amoniel would be missing a cake.

A knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I knew it was Boromir, but I was surprised that he had left me alone for so long. It was almost dinner and I had not eaten since lunch yesterday.

"Go away!" I called, even though my face was still buried in my pillow. I was still upset with Boromir, yet I could not blame him for everything. It was how our relationship was. We wanted to be with each other, yet we knew we could not. There was no way that his father would ever allow him to marry a village girl. Also, there was my race. I could live an immortal life with my sisters and marry a nice Elf boy instead. Maybe I could take my sisters to Lórien and we could all be so happy… even Raina would come with us, but she would pass. It was inevitable. I knew it would break Amoniel and Bellasiel's hearts when they found out about our mother, but they would deal with it more rashly than I had. By the time they knew, they would be married. I hoped.

"Rosel, please, you have not eaten since yesterday! You may be upset with me, but do not starve yourself," Boromir said.

He thought this was about yesterday, but I could not blame him. The only person here who knew that Amoniel's birthday was today was Malgelir. I was about to yell at Boromir to leave again when the door swung open. My cheeks turned bright red. I looked like a mess, to say the least. It did not faze him though.

"Rosel, please come eat dinner," Boromir begged.

I got over the shock of him barging into my room and managed to shake my head.

"I said it before, you should not starve yourself."

"I am not hungry," It was the truth. I had not been at all. My guilt was blocking out my body's needs. I did not feel tired, despite my lack of sleep and along with not eating, I had not had a drop of water since yesterday.

Boromir frowned. "I doubt that."

Instead of arguing, I planted my face into the pillow again. I felt a large, calloused hand on my shoulder. It sent shivers down my back, but I attempted to ignore it. I still flushed; thank the Valar he could not see my face. The weight shift in the mattress indicated that he had sat down.

"Please, you do not even have to sit near me," he pleaded.

I resisted the urge to scream into the pillow. "I am in here not because I am upset with you. I am here because I am upset with myself. Now leave."

His hand remained on my shoulder. "Tell me why you are upset with yourself."

"It is Amoniel's birthday," I whispered, pulling my head away from the pillow.

Boromir's eyes were full of understanding. "I am sorry, but I do not think that starving yourself is going to help. You should eat dinner."

"I do not feel like moving. I just feel so depressed…" I turned back towards him. He seemed to understand, yet his desire for me to eat drove him to convince me to move.

"Come eat dinner with me, then I will leave you be. Please, Rosel?"

I knew that he would not give up; Boromir was one of the most stubborn people I knew. Finally, I gave in. "Fine," I conceded. "But only for dinner."

Boromir smiled widely at his small victory. "Good! I will see you at dinner." Quickly, he left my room and I walked towards my filled bathtub. Movement felt awkward at first, but my legs felt better after a few moments. The tepid water surrounded my body and I sighed in content. Baths were always relaxing, unfortunately though, I had to hurry.

While I dressed myself, I silently wondered what it would be like to wear a dress all day again. The only times I wore a dress in Lórien was when I went to dinner. And even then it was an occasion because I would come straight from the archery field. I wore dresses everyday before I left home with the Fellowship and I somewhat missed wearing them. Although I could move around better wearing a tunic and breeches, dresses were what I was raised in.

My footsteps were all that could be heard in the empty hallway as I made my way towards dinner. I was late, so I tried to hurry. When I arrived in the large cavern, everyone was eating. Boromir's gaze caught mine quickly… as did Malgelir's. Both headed towards me. I was internally screaming at myself to make a run for it back to my room.

Malgelir got to me first. "I have not seen you all day!" he exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

My gaze focused passed him for a moment. I saw Boromir turn back around and storm towards Faramir. I felt guilty for making him upset, but he dragged me here against my will. Might as well make the best of it - right?

"I have been preparing myself to journey to Minas Tirith," I lied. Malgelir knew that it was Amoniel's birthday, but the last thing I wanted was for him to think that I regretted leaving home.

"I see. Are you excited to see the White City?"

I nodded eagerly. "Very."

He laughed lightly. "Surely preparing to leave does not keep you confided in your room all day."

I sighed – he knew the real reason, I could sense it. "I-I, well you remember that I told you it was my sister's birthday today."

Malgelir nodded. "That I do remember. I am sorry that you could not celebrate it with her."

"There is nothing I can do about it now. What's done is done."

Malgelir gestured for me to sit with him by the waterfall. I followed, realizing that we were sitting a fair way from the rest of the men in the cavern. He offered me a mug of warm ale and some fresh slices of fruit. After my fasting, it felt so good to eat something so fresh and to drink something so warm and delicious.

"So tell me," Malgelir started. "Has Lord Boromir informed you on what will happen once you arrive in Minas Tirith?"

I placed my mug down, starting to feel concerned. Surely I was going to stay with Boromir in his home? If not, where would I live? "No, he has not mentioned anything about our arrival to his city."

Malgelir nodded. "I do not wish to say this, but I have a feeling you will not be able to stay in the Citadel. The Steward, Lord Denethor, is not a man of warm welcome these days."

Malgelir's words made me even more concerned. "Where would I go?"

Malgelir smiled reassuringly. "I have been given leave to return home for several weeks. Today, a replacement healer has arrived. He and I take turns working here. If you have trouble finding a place to stay, my brother has a tavern on the third level of Minas Tirith. I will pay for you to stay there if you wish to."

"No," I said quickly. "That is too much to ask from you. I am sure Boromir will have some sort of arrangement sorted for me."

I saw disappointment in Malgelir's eyes. I started to feel guilty from rejecting his offer. We both sat in silence, and I began to think about the man who sat before me. He was kind to me and was always able to make me laugh. And now he was offering a place for me to stay in Minas Tirith. "I am only rejecting your offer because I do not know your brother, and since you have a family, I doubt I will get to see you."

Malgelir sighed. "I am afraid to say that my marriage is not a healthy one. My wife and I do not always agree with each other, and my daughters barely know me since I am mostly away from home. You see, Rosel, I let my family carry on with their life, as they let me carry on with my life."

"That is so sad," I said quietly. "Don't you ever feel… alone?"

Malgelir nodded. "I do."

"I know how it feels to be alone," I replied. I did too. After my father's death, my mother secluded herself from her children. And I barely had any friends in the town because I was far too busy trying to raise my sisters.

"You and I are to very similar people, Rosel."

I smiled. "We are, aren't we?"

"So will you take up my offer to stay in my brother's tavern?" he asked hopefully.

I turned my head to look at Boromir. He had his back to me while he spoke to Faramir. I had feelings for him, I truly did. But now I was beginning to wonder if these feelings were of a fool who wanted something she could not have. I turned back to face Malgelir, who was a man so similar to me and yet we had never had one disagreement, unlike Boromir and I.

"Yes," I replied. "I shall stay in your brother's tavern, though, under one condition."

"I am listening," he replied.

"That you will come and visit me as often as you can."

Malgelir grinned. "If it pleases you, I will be able to see you every day."

I was very grateful I went to dinner. I left the cavern in high spirits, knowing that someone here cared about me. I knew Boromir did, but he was of high birth and I did not see myself ever being able to be with him. I had to let Boromir go, and I thought that the best way to do that was to stay with Malgelir.

"Rosel," Boromir called.

I turned and looked up the hallway. I had just reached my door, hoping I would not be able to see him. "Yes?"

"I have come to tell you that we are leaving tomorrow after the sun has risen."

I nodded. "Very well. I should tell you that Malgelir has invited me to stay in his brother's tavern in Minas Tirith."

I could not believe the look on Boromir's face. He acted as if I had struck him across the cheek. "Why are you taking up his offer?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Because I know I will not be able to stay in the Citadel with you, and I would rather stay with someone I know, rather than a stranger."

"Malgelir's brother is still a stranger to you."

"Yes, but Malgelir has promised to visit me everyday. I know you will not be able to do so. I understand that you have duties to your people. I think I will just get in the way in Minas Tirith."

Boromir looked angry and hurt. "Rosel, no. I cannot allow you to be near Malgelir."

"Why?" I almost shouted. "Why are you so concerned with me? I am just a village girl whose father was killed by my mother's lover. I am not noble like you or brave as you are." I paused, feeling very relived to let my anger out. I found my soft voice again and continued. "Boromir, you are a great friend, and together we have been through a huge ordeal together. But things are… different now. You have to go back to your life in Minas Tirith. Your people need you more than I need you. I am sorry; I wish it did not have to be this way…" I could feel tears swelling in my eyes. I quickly opened my door and closed it. As I leant against it, I fell to the floor, hugging my knees.

I could not believe what I had just done. I had told a man whom I had believed to love to leave me alone. I had to keep telling myself it was for the best. Malgelir was a more suitable man for me. He did not fight in battles or risk his life. The worst thing that could happen was have Boromir die. I do not think I would live if that happened.

Shaking all the negative thoughts from my mind, I stood up and started to gather my belongings for the journey to Minas Tirith.

**A/N: My story is a teenager! And let me tell you, thirteen is a difficult age. My beta, Lady Demiya, is why I am updating today :D. She worked on this chapter with me and got me to the end! Literally. She wrote the second half of this. So to say thank you to her, you should totally go read her stories. They're good. I LOVE YOU LADY DEMIYA! Thanks to all the people who put me on alert, favorited and reviewed! Shout outs to the reviewers!**

**Lady Fireflower: Thanks :D I always have had a tough time writing angst, so that made me feel better lol. **

**.God: Hope this was soon enough! Thanks so much for the review. **

**Lady Demiya: I know. Very hard years. **

**Holly-BethRAWR: I know! I have such a hard time finding good Boromir/OCs too! Well, I'm glad you found my story! Sorry for the wait. **

**SweetMerry: Thanks so much! **

**Elvenprincess3019: I was wondering where you went lol. I missed you! Thanks so much for all the reviews! I love all the support you have given me :D**

**Oh and just so you know, school started for me again, and with it comes Cross Country. I will be a little slow updating for a while, but I promise I will never abandon this story! Now review please!**


	14. Tavern

****

A/N: This chapter is rated M. There is a lemon in it, but if you don't want to read it I have it marked off with this : ~/~. I haven't really done a disclaimer, but since I'm here, why not. I don't own Lord of the Rings and yadda yadda yadda...on with the story!

The ride to Minas Tirith was uncomfortable. Not only was the air tense between all of us who were riding, but my horse had a tendency to get… excited. It would become spooked when Malgelir would ride close or if anyone spoke. At one point it had galloped so far ahead, I had to stop and wait for everyone to make it to where I was. Needless to say, I was very frustrated. Of course, Boromir had given me the horse without saying two words this morning. So I had a feeling he planned this.

The tension was worse than my unruly horse, however. Boromir refused to even look in my general direction, and Malgelir was always shooting him glares. The other soldiers who were getting leave were not helping either. They just looked at Malgelir and Boromir the entire time. I just wanted to kick my horse and ride back to Lórien as fast as I could.

It was only a day ride to Minas Tirith, but crossing the Anduin River was a feat. We first had to leave the horses. Once we found a place where the water slowed, the men tied a rope to Boromir and slowly he crossed the river. When he made it to the other side, he untied the rope and hung onto it tightly. Malgelir was the first to cross. His arms reached up to the rope and he crossed cautiously. A few more men crossed and then came my turn.

Slowly, I entered the water. It was like ice. The cold shocked me at first, but I had to move. The rushing water put me on edge as I crossed. It was not that strong until I reached the shore. I had let go of the rope to climb up on the shore but the current was too strong. As I pulled myself up the current pulled my legs down the river and the rest of my body followed them. I let out a yelp as I was pulled under the icy river. The river surrounded me on all sides and I panicked. I could swim very well, but the current was tossing me like a doll. My head hit a rock and the world seemed to spin. I saw my blood turn the water red before a pair of large hands pulled me to the surface.

I coughed violently and shivered in the chilly air. My hair clung to my face and my clothes were soaked. My skin formed small bumps and I started shaking. Finally, I looked up. Boromir's stony grey eyes bore into mine, but he broke eye contact quickly when he saw where I had hit my head. He ran a calloused finger over it and I winced. Malgelir practically pushed Boromir over when he rushed toward me.

"Are you all right, Rosel?" he asked.

Boromir shot him a glare, but turned his attention back to me.

"I am all right," I croaked.

"You hit your head…" Malgelir muttered.

"Really?" Boromir asked sarcastically.

Malgelir made no retort, but his mouth pressed into a thin line and his jaw locked. I gave a small, fake whimper to try to refocus the situation. It worked. Both of their heads snapped back towards me.

Malgelir ripped a piece of linen from his tunic and wrapped it around my head. "When we get to Minas Tirith, I will get you a proper bandage and put a salve on it," Malgelir reassured me.

I nodded and attempted to stand up. Malgelir quickly jumped up and helped me stand though. Boromir was still seething, and quickly, he walked towards the front of the group. I watched him leave, but turned my attention back to a smug Malgelir.

"Hopefully your clothes will be dry soon. I would hate for you to get a chill."

"I will be fine," I replied, putting on my most winning smile. But I failed miserably because my teeth were still chattering.

Malgelir rolled his eyes. "I assume your clothes that are in your bag are wet as well?" I looked at my bag that was heavy with water, and nodded slowly. Malgelir sighed. "We should hurry then."

When Minas Tirith came into sight, relief and wonder flowed through me. The city was a blinding white and was carved into a cliff. It sparkled in the evening sun and the sunlight created an orange tint in the Citadel. The city was made into different levels, the Citadel being the highest point. I could see small specs of silver, which I identified as soldiers later. Pelennor Fields seemed to create an endless path in front of the city.

"Come on, Rosel!" Malgelir called. I had not realized I had fallen so behind the group. Quickly, I turned my attention back to actually reaching Minas Tirith instead of staring at it.

It was night by the time we reached the gate. Boromir pounded on the gate because the guards had not seen him due to the cover of night. "Open the gate!" he cried.

"Who goes there?" a man called back.

"Boromir, son of Lord Denethor!"

"Open the gate!" several men cried. The gates slowly crept open with a loud screech. I tried to ignore that part and take in the city around me. Since it was night, there were very few people out, but the city was still awake. Several houses were dimly lit and men were escaping into their homes.

We were lead into the city and Boromir dismissed the men who were traveling with us. They all went towards their homes to see their families.

"This is where I leave you," Boromir said walking my way.

I nodded. "Thank you for saving me today," I said quietly, looking at my feet. I still felt guilty about the other day, but I did not regret it. It had to be done.

"There is no need to thank me. I hope to see you in the future."

I nodded again. I did not feel that I could say anything else, so I watched him leave. Tears swelled in my eyes, but I felt a rough hand squeeze my own. I looked up at Malgelir. His eyes were warm and understanding. "Do not despair," he whispered.

Malgelir's hand stayed on mine, but his actions seemed all right to me. He leaned down a little towards my face, and I knew exactly what he wanted. What surprised me was how eager I was to receive his kiss. My lips rushed to meet his.

I had never been so bold in my life. The kiss was not anything special; it was like when I had kissed other boys. But I felt like I needed it. I had to feel loved and wanted by someone. The loss of Boromir left me brokenhearted and I needed to fill the void.

Malgelir's tongue ran over my bottom lip and I granted him entrance. Our tongues wrestled for dominance, and he won and explored my mouth. One of his hands rested against my waist and the other was running through my hair. The hand on my waist pulled me closer to him so that there was no space between us.

I pulled away, gasping for air, but Malgelir moved his lips down to my neck. I gasped, yet managed to find my voice. "We should go to the tavern… if…" He cut me off with another kiss and nodded. I felt very self-conscious because of several turned heads. Malgelir did not seem to care, however.

Malgelir led me to the tavern eagerly and would occasionally look back and smile at me, and I would smile back. My heart pounded against my ribs, and I felt a little guilty about what I was about to do. But Malgelir made me feel wanted and after everything that had happened, I needed to feel that way.

~/~

After what seemed like forever, we made it to the room. Malgelir quickly turned his attention back to me. I felt extremely dizzy when he assaulted my lips again. There were two sides of my mind. One was yelling and screaming at me to stop right now, and the other was egging me on.

A sharp tear brought me out of my thoughts and back to reality. The tunic that I was wearing was lying on the floor. I stared at it for a moment while Malgelir placed kisses on my collarbone all the way up my neck. Instead of standing still, I managed to take his off. I ran my hands over his bare chest and received a moan in reply.

"I forgot about your head," Malgelir managed to say in between kisses.

"Forget about it again," I replied.

"I can do that."

Malgelir untied the linen around my breasts, and they fell to the floor gently. I felt the urge to cover myself, but I did not. Before I could even respond to it, his hands began massaging them. I moaned in pleasure and dug my nails into his back.

We stumbled backwards towards the bed and he landed on top of me. I felt his hardness pressing into my thigh, and to my dismay, Malgelir's lips left mine. Automatically, I reached up for him, but I stopped when his mouth closed over one of my hardened nipples. I gasped in surprised and arched my back, gripping onto the bed sheets. He began to bite and suck at it, causing me to release a moan of pleasure.

I felt like I could not wait any longer. Trying to distract myself from Malgelir's movements, I reached down for his breeches and began pulling at them. After both of our breeches were on the floor, he pulled away and his eyes rolled over my body. I felt slightly self-conscious, but I never made a move to cover myself. I felt bold and daring.

When Malgelir moved to kiss me again, I wrapped my legs around his waist and once again, I felt his erection. He began grinding it against my center and I arched my back and moaned. "Please," I groaned.

Swiftly, Malgelir slid into me and pushed passed my barrier, causing me to cry out a little in pain. He seemed to ignore it and kept thrusting in and out. Pain slowly turned into pleasure. I matched my rhythm with his and began panting and moaning. Suddenly, I soared into climax, and he followed quickly filling me with his warmth.

Malgelir collapsed on top of me after pulling himself out. We were both still breathing heavily and in a daze from what had just happened. I had such mixed emotions about it that I felt dizzy just thinking about it. All I remember thinking about before drifting into sleep was that I should not have done that, no matter how lonely I felt. Because if anything, what I had just done, had made it worse.

~/~

The next morning I woke up alone, and sore. I rolled over lazily to see if I could find some clothes, but next to me, there was a note.

_Rosel,_

_I am sorry I had to leave so early, but the bath is full and I have paid for your breakfast downstairs. I will come and see you again soon._

_Malgelir_

I sighed and kicked the sheets off me to go and take my bath. The water was cool and relaxing. My strained muscles relaxed in the water and I closed my eyes in content. I tried not to think about last night, but it was inevitable. The memories were etched into my mind forever, and were showing every time my eyelids shut. I groaned in frustration and sank into the water.

Once my bath was over, I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to see if my clothes that had fallen into the river were dry. They were not, but when I read Malgelir's note, I failed to see the dress under it. I almost did a dance for joy when I saw it. The dress was simple - a dark blue, but it was a dress.

I slipped it on quickly, enjoying the familiar feeling of the skirt sitting over my shins. It seemed like an eternity since I wore a dress. The feeling was wonderful in more ways I could possibly describe. I felt like a little piece of me was back. It almost seemed like Amoniel and Bellasiel would storm through the door complaining that Raina was crying again. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Instead, it was Boromir that stormed through the door.

I froze in my place and any joy that the dress had brought me flew right out of my body.

"Rosel, we need to speak about Malgelir. He is not as good as you think he is," Boromir began.

"Good morning?" I tried changing the subject, even though it angered me that he would start accusing Malgelir of doing wrong.

"Morning? Rosel, it is the middle of the day."

I flushed slightly, but Boromir failed to notice it, because he was closing the door behind him. "Did you just wake up?" he inquired.

I nodded and tried to move in front of the table casually that Malgelir left the note on. This movement did not go unnoticed. Boromir frowned and walked towards me. Before he could even ask what I was hiding, his eyes locked onto my neck.

"What?" I asked.

Then I realized what he was seeing. Malgelir must have left a mark last night. My hand flew over it, and I turned bright red.

Boromir was in shock. "R-Rosel, what did you do last night?"

"Nothing," I snapped.

Boromir swallowed and almost shoved me out of the way to see what I was hiding. I stumbled to the side a little, but managed to catch myself. As soon as I did, I attempted to pull Boromir away from the table, but failed. His eyes scanned the paper quickly. His eyes widened considerably and his gaze turned to me. I was embarrassed and scared.

"We are leaving. Now," Boromir said.

"No," I said defiantly.

Boromir frowned. "Fine. But I am going to tell you what I came here to say," he began. "Malgelir is known for taking mistresses quite often. He is not a good man, Rosel."

It upset me even more than Boromir was telling me this. "He is not happy with his marriage."

"I saw him this morning kissing his wife and playing with his daughters. He seemed quite happy when I saw him."

The words sunk in. I felt horrible for Malgelir's wife who had no idea what her husband was doing. Not only did he betray his wife, he had betrayed me. I had no idea what fooled me into thinking that I was special, but whatever it was, it worked. But I could not blame Malgelir. It was my fault. If I had not pushed Boromir away, I would not have been this situation. I would have been in the Citadel enjoying delicious food and relaxing.

"Oh," was all I managed to say.

Boromir's eyes filled with pity for a moment. Tears began to roll down my face, and I sank to the floor in despair. Sobs wracked my body; I felt so helpless and lonely. I found it so hard to believe that I could feel so many ways at once. Betrayed, alone, angry, sad, guilty, self pity, pity for people I did not know, dirty, and so very small.

"Do you wish to leave?" Boromir asked, sinking down to my level.

I wanted to snap some sarcastic comment at him, but instead, I nodded.

Boromir helped me stand up and wiped the tears off of my cheeks. However, they were replaced quickly.

"I can find a chamber for you by tonight," he offered.

"I-I," I attempted to accept his offer. Before I could even stutter my apology, Boromir pulled me into a tight embrace. A fresh round of tears surfaced and I cried into his chest.

"Shh…" Boromir tried to soothe me.

It was quite awhile before I was able to let go of Boromir's tunic, and when I did, I nodded. "We should go. Now." I managed to say somewhat clearly.

Boromir nodded in agreement, and grasped my hand, from there he lead me out of the tavern.

**A/N: I updated! Yay! Cross Country is everyday after school and every Saturday, so you see the predicament I'm in. Thank you to my lovely beta, Lady Demiya! YOU ROCK MY SOCKS! Thanks to all of the people who put me on alert, favorite and review! Shout outs!**

**Elvenprincess3019: You may get your wish :D. And Rosel is a little stubborn. She's a fun character to write. **

**Lady Demiya: I'm so glad you ride my ass to get these things done.**

**Review please! They motivate me more than my beta can. Which is hard to do.**


	15. Laineth

The rest of the day seemed to be a blur. My only clear memory was meeting Lord Denethor. It was nerve racking to say the least. My heart was pounding so hard against my rib cage that it threatened to fly right out of my chest. My mind was also playing every scenario that could possibly happen to make the Steward hate me.

I also kept thinking that the dress I was in was not suitable enough. It probably was not, but when I brought up the matter, Boromir told me I was being silly. My attempt to erase the thoughts from my mind was futile though. I ran my fingers through my hair all the way to the Throne Room.

When we entered, we walked straight towards the throne. White statues of men lined the hall - every detail was perfectly frozen in time and each statue made the man have an air of authority about them. Whether it was the facial expression or their stance, it seemed powerful and intimidating. Kingly to be exact. They distracted my racing heart for a few moments, but once we arrived at the throne, it was flying once more.

"Father," Boromir addressed Denethor. He gave a bow, and I followed in suit with a curtsey.

"Who is this?" Denethor questioned.

"Her name is Rosel, she has been a companion of mine for quite some time," Boromir answered.

Denethor nodded. "And from where do you hail, Rosel?" he asked, curiosity gleaming in his stone grey eyes.

"Lórien, my Lord," I answered. It was half-truth.

The answer seemed to make Denethor hostile. "Was she the one that…?"

Boromir nodded. "Yes, and I was hoping that we could keep her as an honored guest."

Denethor nodded and dismissed us quickly. To be honest, I was shocked that nothing went horribly wrong. The hostile look was not ideal, but it did not lead to anything terrible. So as far as I was concerned, he could shoot me all the dirty looks he wanted. However, I was curious about what Boromir might have told him about me.

~/~

Boromir kept me under lock and key for about a week after that. I was not allowed to leave the Citadel if I wanted to stay there. I thought it was fair for about two days, but then I had seen everything, so I became bored. I wanted to see the city desperately.

I sighed as I played with my food. "What is the matter?" the cook asked politely. "Is the food all right?"

I smiled slightly. "It is wonderful, I am not hungry, is all."

He looked relieved and continued to clean the dishes around me.

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

The cook looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, but…"

"Let me help you," I interrupted.

"A-are you sure, my Lady?" he asked.

I nodded and picked up a few dishes next to me. I was so bored, doing the dishes with a stranger sounded more interesting than wandering the halls.

We both worked in silence. I never asked his name and he never asked mine. The only sounds that we heard were our sponges scrubbing at the plates. It never bothered me though. It was quite relaxing to do such a familiar activity.

Once the dishes were done, we stacked them neatly. "Thank you, my Lady," was all the cook said. I smiled, nodded, and left.

My room had become more like a dungeon than the escape that it seemed to be in Henneth Annun. Unfortunately, it was the only place to be besides the library. It was not a bad place. It was just… boring. Like everything else here.

I sighed and fell down onto my bed and realized it was not even noon yet. I wanted to go find Boromir and force him to show me around the city since I could not leave on my own, but he was in meetings. It was to be expected though. He was Captain General after all.

I rolled off the bed and walked over to my window. Below me, I could see all the different levels of the city. They were full of people going about their daily business and children playing merrily in the streets. Stretched out in front of me was the endless sea of grass known as the Pelennor Fields. Beyond that was Mordor. A dark cloud covered the land there, and smoke was always rising. It was chilling to observe.

A little girl's shriek focused my attention back onto the street below. The girl could not have been older than eight. She looked up at me for a moment, her green eyes focusing on mine. They seemed to draw me to bend over and out the window. I reached out at her, and she waved, smiling widely at me.

Something behind her caught my eye though, and drew her attention away from me. The small girl whirled around saw a man shoving his way through the crowds to get to her. I wondered for a moment if it was her father, but when the man began accusing her of robbery, the thought fled my mind.

"She is right here!" the man exclaimed to the guards.

The little girls' eyes widened in horror and she began to spring away from the men. I noticed a loaf of bread tucked under her thin arm. I wanted to scream in fury at the guards, but at the same time, I could not. They were doing their job. But the girl was probably starving to death. What if she was an orphan and supporting any siblings she had? Or what if her family was so poor they were forcing her to steal? I doubted that she was stealing the bread to resale.

"Get her!" the man cried again. The guards caught her in the crowd and she screamed in horror.

"Please do not hurt me!" the little girl sobbed. The girl's pleas did not faze the guards.

My breath caught in my throat. I would never forgive myself if I let the guards punish her. But it was the law. I wanted to scream in frustration.

I bit my lip. In a matter of seconds, I made my decision. I picked up my skirts, and ran downstairs. My earlier explorations of the building were helping me. I ran into the kitchen and searched for an unguarded door, because Boromir had kindly informed the guards that I was not allowed outside.

After I got down on my hands in knees, I found a small door that was hidden in the wall. I thanked the Valar that the cooks were gone at the moment, and crept into the outside world. It did not lead into the courtyard. Instead, it lead into a small alley way. I could see the busy street from my vantage point, and sure enough, I saw the guards that were holding the little girl walk past the alley.

I leapt up and ran after them. Even though I had no idea what I was supposed to say to the guards when I caught up to them, but it was important that I reached them.

After shoving my way through a sea of people, I caught up to them. Boldly, I placed my hand on one of their shoulders. "Excuse me," I said.

The guard turned to face me with a menacing glare. "Yes, miss?" he said in a mocking tone.

It felt as if I shrank. "Um," I began shyly. I really had no idea what I was supposed to say. Then it hit me. "She's my daughter."

The guard raised an eyebrow. He looked at the both of us and laughed. It was probably not a very good argument. The girl had dark as night hair and bright green eyes. The only thing we shared was fair skin and curly hair. Also, I looked a little younger than I was because I aged slowly.

"Right, and I am the King of Rohan," he replied sarcastically.

"She looks like her father," I snapped in defense.

The guard seemed taken back at my quick retort. The other guard just rolled his eyes. "Let her go, Glaerion," he said.

Glaerion did so reluctantly. The girl scurried over to me and her green eyes were bloodshot. From here, I got a better look at her. She had a pretty face, only it was covered in dirt. It was fair and innocent. She had small cuts and bruises on her arms and legs. Her bones were apparent through her skin. She wore no shoes and her clothes were more like rags. It made me depressed to see a small child in this position of poverty.

I squatted down to her level. She looked frightened but introduced herself anyways. "My name is Laineth. What is yours?"

I smiled. "Rosel. Do you have a family, Laineth?"

Laineth's eyes dropped to the ground and she shook her head.

"Nobody?"

"N-no," she stuttered in reply.

My eyes softened. "Are you hungry?" I asked.

Laineth's frightened expression turned into one of joy. She knew I was going to feed her. "Very much, miss."

My first instinct was to return to the Citadel and get some food from the cooks. But I had no way of getting back except going back up and having to deal with the guards. Thankfully, I always had a little money tucked in my corset. It was a weird habit I had created, but it came in handy in times like these. Of course, getting the money out in public would be amusing. Well, to everyone else, not me.

"Do you have a favorite food?" I inquired, standing back up.

Laineth looked to be in deep thought for a moment. "I really love apples," she finally answered.

"Well, then, we should go get some apples."

After wandering around the sixth level for an hour to find a merchant who sold apples, we headed back to the Citadel, enjoying the fruit.

"Where do you live, Miss Rosel?" Laineth asked.

"Well, I am not from here. I am staying in the Citadel as a guest of the Steward's son, Boromir," I answered swallowing a bite of my apple.

Laineth's eyes widened. "You know Lord Boromir?" she asked in childish awe.

I nodded. "We are good friends."

"Are you betrothed to him?"

I began to choke on the bit of apple I had in my mouth.

"Miss Rosel, are you all right?" Laineth asked.

After finally swallowing the fruit, I nodded. "I think so."

"So, are you two betrothed?"

"Not at all. Never," I replied bluntly.

Laineth looked disappointed. "Oh. Well then how do you know him?"

"That is a long story for another time. But how old are you, Laineth?"

"I am seven," she said proudly.

I ruffled her hair. "You are almost a young lady," I remarked.

Laineth and I spent the rest of the day on the sixth level of the city. We talked about where we were from, and I even started to tell her how Boromir and I met. She was so much like Amoniel, it felt like I was back home. It was the happiest I had been since I had left home.

When the sun started to set, we both sighed and then laughed at our simultaneous reaction. "I suppose I should leave," Laineth said sadly.

I thought for a moment. "You could stay at the Citadel with me," I offered. It was certainly not in my place to offer, but I could not let Laineth sleep on the street alone. I considered her a friend, and that would not be good of me to do.

"That would not be…"

"It would be fine. Boromir is in my debt anyways," I interrupted her. It was true. He had not quite repaid me for saving his life yet.

"Well, if you say so," Laineth said unsurely.

I smiled down at her. She was so young and innocent looking, but from the stories she told me, she knew much about hunger, poverty and pain. It saddened me to think that her parents abandon her.

I took her frail hand in mine and lead her back to the Citadel.

~/~

"What on Middle-earth were you thinking?" Boromir demanded.

Currently, Boromir and I were in my chamber. Laineth was in the privy taking a bath. "Boromir…" I tried to begin calmly.

"If you escape every time you see an orphan get pulled off the street because they _stole _something_,_ and then bring them back here, I am not going to let you stay here! The rule was that you were supposed to stay in the Citadel. And what do you do? You find a secret exit in the kitchen, lie to the guards, and come back with some street girl!" he interrupted me.

"Speaking of your guards, they are not the most polite people. They are extremely condescending. Also, I am sure they were going to beat her. She is seven! And starving," I retorted.

"That is the law, I cannot change it. You are lucky the guards even let her go and decided not to punish you as well. There is a reason I am having you stay here."

"Why? I know it is not because you are worried I am going to bring home orphans," I snapped.

"You know damn well why I am keeping you in here!"

"Contrary to your belief, I am not a whore! There are many reasons why that happened!" We were yelling quite loudly at this point. I wondered if Laineth could hear us in the privy.

"Because you were lonely? If that is the case then maybe I should keep you locked in your room so that anytime you do feel alone you do not run off with the cook!"

"I helped him do dishes! I hardly think that is inappropriate! You owe me this!"

Boromir paused for a moment, signaling my victory. "Fine."

I grinned triumphantly, even if there was a nagging feeling of guilt in the pit of my stomach. As soon as Boromir saw my grin, he stormed out of the room and angrily slammed the door on the way out. I flinched at his reaction.

"I thought you said you were friends with him?" I heard Laineth say. Her head was poking out from the privy door. "You both sounded angry."

My mouth was agape. "We just had a disagreement," I responded after I found my voice.

"About me?" she asked looking at her feet.

"Partly, but he's letting you stay. It was mostly about things that happened before that we never really spoke about."

Laineth nodded and grabbed the small night gown that was right outside the door. She disappeared behind the door, but emerged a few moments later fully dressed and her wet black hair tossed behind her shoulders.

"Here, let me brush your hair for you," I offered. It was habit. I always brushed Amoniel and Bellasiel's hair after they bathed.

Laineth seemed a little surprised, but agreed anyways. I took the brush off the vanity and beckoned her to sit down on the soft bed. As soon as she did, I pulled the brush through her tangled curls, wondering the last time she had bathed. "Do you love him?" she asked, breaking the silence.

I rolled my eyes. "Why do you think I have to be romantically involved with him?"

Laineth shrugged. "You just seem like you would."

I huffed and stopped brushing her hair. "You are seven, Laineth, what do you know about romance?"

"Enough."

I swear this girl acted as if she was a teenager already. But I suppose you had to grow up fast when you lived like she did. It was so strange hearing her say it though. Her voice was still so sweet and young.

I just shook my head, sighed and continued brushing the knots out of her hair.

"You will have to stay in my room, but there is plenty of room in the bed," I said. I highly doubted it made a difference to Laineth though.

"That sounds better than being alone," she whispered.

Once all the knots from her hair disappeared, I threw the blankets down so we could crawl into the bed. "Goodnight, Laineth," I said, pulling the blankets back up.

Laineth followed my actions. "Thank you so much for everything, Miss Rosel."

I really had no idea how I was supposed to reply to that 'thank you'. 'Your welcome' just did not seem to fit, because in reality, not many people were welcome. I also had no idea why I was even drawn to Laineth in the first place. It was as if an invisible force brought me to her. That was the strangest experience of my life. Instead of saying anything in response, I put out the lamps and bade her goodnight once more.

**A/N: My story is now as old as I am...and it has a permit. It's scaring me lol. Anyways, thanks to my awesome beta, Lady Demiya. You rock my world :D! Thanks to all those who favortied, put me on alert and reviewed! Shout outs!**

**Lady Fireflower: Thank you! I like writing complicated stories lol. **

**Lady Demiya: This whole thing is thanks to you! I love that you inspire me so:)**

**SweetMerry: Angry Boromir is starting to show...but I will fix it soon! He's just stubborn ;)**

**Review please:) They're better than the hot guy I'm texting right now.**


	16. The Third Level

I paced nervously in front of Boromir's door. Our spat last week had eaten away at me mercilessly, and I felt I needed to fix it. My heart thrummed against my chest as I bit my nails anxiously. I had to fix this, but I was so worried that it would make everything worse. My plan had several places in it that could cause another fight, but I had to go through with it. It was too late to run away when Boromir opened his door. He looked displeased to see me.

"What?" he demanded.

I stopped pacing and biting my nails. To avoid the temptation to start again, I put my hands behind my back and put one of my feet on top of the other. "C-can we talk?" I stammered.

Boromir's gaze softened, but he still seemed wary. After a short pause, he motioned for me to enter his chamber.

"Where is Laineth?" Boromir asked. Despite his earlier dislike of Laineth, he had taken to her quite well. She was smart and he recognized that. He had also been very impressed with how well she handled herself for growing up the way she did.

"She is down in the library. But I am not here to talk about having her stay at the Citadel. In fact, I do not want to talk about Laineth. We need to talk about…"

"Last week?" Boromir finished for me.

"Yes, that and Lórien up until now." It all seemed so long ago, but it was just over a month past.

Boromir flinched at the thought of Lórien, but nodded. There had been so many good and bad memories - more bad than good. Especially for Boromir.

Now that we had made it to the conversation stage of my plan, I had no idea what to do. And to be honest, I did not think I would even make it this far. My expectation was for Boromir to tell me to go away.

"Well… Lórien…" I tried to start. It was awkward just mentioning it. We had never spoken of it before now, and this was a reason for that.

"Do we have to speak of… that?" Boromir asked.

"Yes," I replied before he even finished the question. Silence filled the room. I figured I should start since I dragged Boromir into this. "Why did you…" he knew the rest of the sentence.

Boromir shifted awkwardly. "Because I thought I was losing you… and I know that…"

"I am going to stop you right there." I was terrified of him completing that sentence. How could he know! I thought I had done a wonderful job of concealing my feelings for him. "How could you think that you were losing me? I was always there if you wanted to speak, but you secluded yourself!"

Boromir hung his head in shame. "I thought that you and Legolas were together."

"But that was not until after you saw us together," I countered.

"I knew that you were spending a lot of time with him, and given that you both had a lot in common, it just seemed like it was happening. I was not even the one that came up with the theory, Merry did."

My jaw dropped slightly - Merry of all people! "W-what?"

"I thought (that) maybe if I kissed you that you would want to be around me again. I believe it was one of the worst decisions I have ever made. Of course that was when the Ring… was…"

I nodded. I had mixed emotions. I was happy that Boromir admitted he was wrong, but sad that the kiss was one of his regrets. It had created a rift between us, but I got over it quick enough. I jumped in front of an arrow for him! I had obviously forgiven him. "It was not as bad as you make it sound. I forgave you quite quickly, actually."

The corners of Boromir's mouth twitched upwards. "Well, you did save my life."

"I would not have done that if I did not care for you," I whispered.

Boromir's smile left. "You would not have lain with Malgelir if you cared for me."

I felt my heart crumble inside my chest and tears threatened to surface. "I did that because I thought Malgelir and I actually had a possible future together. I thought he told me the truth when he said he was unhappy. I did it because I was crushed when I let you go and…"

A knock on the door interrupted our confessions. "My Lord, I believe that you are late for a meeting, and there are some guests downstairs; they wanted to meet Lady Rosel and you. I informed them of your meeting and went to find the Lady, but I have not seen her. I sent some guards to search for her," the voice said.

It annoyed me that they thought I had escaped again, but I was more curious about our guests.

"Lady Rosel is here, and I will arrive at my meeting as soon as I can," Boromir replied.

"I shall tell them, my Lord."

"We should go," I said, wiping away a stray tear.

"I need to say something before we leave," Boromir replied.

I nodded.

"I am truly sorry for yelling at you last week. I suppose I was upset about the situation," he began. "I hope you understand that it is hard for me to understand why you did it. It really frustrated me that you refused to listen to me when I spoke to you about Malgelir, and then had intercourse with him."

I absorbed his words. They hurt, but they were true. I did understand why he was upset. Slowly, I nodded. "I will go meet the guests," I said in a monotone voice.

Boromir looked troubled as he nodded, but left the chamber anyways. I followed, but turned the opposite direction from him once we left his chamber.

I was silent as I walked through the white hallway, but when I reached my destination as indicated by a servant, I squealed quite loudly. Pippin was here! My mood turned around instantly.

"Pippin!" I exclaimed, sprinting towards his small figure. I might as well have thrown him in the air when I brought him up to my height for an embrace.

"Rosel! You are all right! I thought you would still be injured," Pippin said.

"My arm healed quite quickly," I commented as I put him back on the floor.

"Well, it had to if you could pick me up that easily."

I giggled. "Oh, I missed you. Is Merry here?"

Pippin seemed downcast for a moment. "No, he is in Rohan with the others."

"Rohan? You have been everywhere! Where else have you been?" I asked with interest.

"Well, after Merry and I were captured by the Uruks, we were taken near Fangorn Forest. We managed to escape into the forest and stumbled upon an Ent named Treebeard. Then, he took us to an Ent Moot, which is a gathering of the Ents. Merry and I convinced them to attack Isengard. We flooded Orthanc, but Saruman escaped. After that, we met Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Théoden King, his nephew, Èomer and Gandalf in Isengard."

"Gandalf?" I asked incredulously.

"I forgot that you did not know. Gandalf came back! He is alive! In fact, he is here somewhere…"

"When? How?" I asked, still not believing what Pippin told me.

"While we were with Treebeard, but I still do not know how," he answered.

"Well, would you like me to show you around?" I asked, beckoning him towards a corridor.

"That sounds like fun!" he exclaimed, and followed me out the door.

"So, how much have you already seen?" I asked to make sure I did not show him things he had viewed.

"Just the throne room and kitchen," he answered walking briskly beside me.

I smiled. Of course, Pippin would have been in the kitchen already. "So I take it you met the Steward?"

Pippin nodded. "He was… interesting."

My smile widened. I do not think I was ever so delighted to see anyone in my life. It felt like the world had been put back in balance once more. After showing Pippin around the entire Citadel in an hour, I decided it was time to sneak out once more. When we arrived in the kitchens, Laineth was there.

"Rosel!" she exclaimed, hopping off of her stool. She was the only person present besides Pippin and me.

"Laineth, I would like to introduce you to my good friend, Pippin," I said, motioning to Pip.

Laineth was Pippin's height, which confused her greatly.

"Hello Laineth," Pippin greeted her.

Laineth nodded in response. Even though she had good manners, when she was confused or felt threatened, they seemed to disappear. "Rosel, do you know how much food they throw away here? I could feed all of my friends with this!"

At first, I was upset by her dismissal of Pippin, but I decided to look inside the bag she carried. My jaw dropped. It was enough to feed my family for two weeks. Pippin glanced too, and I swore I saw him drool.

"You must eat well here," he commented.

"We do, but that is too much to throw away," I commented.

"That's why I was in the kitchen all day. I was collecting scraps because I was going to bring them to my friends on the third level. They are like me," Laineth explained.

Pippin and I both grinned mischievously. "I will show you my secret exit," I said.

~/~

It had taken us a full three hours for Laineth, Pippin and I to hike down to the third level. It would have been shorter and easier without the food, but then we would not have gone in the first place. It was interesting to see the different levels of the city, however.

When we finally made it to the right street, Laineth led us into an alley. "Set down the bag," she ordered me after we made it to the end of the alley.

I did and she began to climb up the wall that was in front of us. "What are you doing?" I asked in an urgent tone.

"Getting to where we used to live," she said as if it were obvious.

Pippin did not look excited about climbing, so I put my hand on his shoulder to try to offer some comfort.

When Laineth nearly reached the top, she banged on a wooden shutter.

"Password?" was the reply.

"Caves," Laineth replied in a low voice.

"Laineth!" I heard a few squeals come from inside the room.

Laineth smiled in response. "I brought food, and lots of it!" she exclaimed pointing downwards toward the bag. The motion worried me because she was still hanging onto the wall. "Throw it up, Rosel!"

I had no idea if I was strong enough to throw the bag that high. But I had to try. There were several hungry faces poking there heads out the window now. Sighing, I picked the heavy bag up and threw it with every ounce of strength I had. The strap barely made it that high, yet it landed smoothly in Laineth's hand.

"Now climb up. You too, Pippin," she commanded, throwing the bag into the home and then climbing in herself.

Quickly, I lifted Pippin off the ground and onto some footholds. I followed slowly; always staying behind him to make sure he did not fall. After making it to the top, we both pushed through the window into a small room. It was full of children sleeping on rags or playing games. Some were gathered around the bag that Laineth had brought. They eyed it as if it was money or treasure.

"Where have you been, Laineth?" the boy who had let her in earlier asked.

Laineth jumped to my side. "She saved me from being taken by the guards and let me stay at the Citadel with her. That is where I got all of this food. They throw away so much, so I collected all of it today."

All the children looked at me in awe. "What is your name?" one of the girls asked.

"My name is Rosel," I answered. "And this is my friend, Pippin." I motioned to Pippin.

We spent all afternoon playing with the children. I learned several of their names as well. The boy who let us in was Doron, the girl who asked me my name was Iestwen and her twin's name was Rodwen.

The children who lived in the house were there because they had to be. Either they were orphans or their parents just abandon them. Laineth had been abandoned along with Doron, but the twins were orphans. Laineth and Doron had actually found the house and started to let more and more children in for the night. Now they were all like a family.

It made me want to cry that innocent children were living like this. At the same time, I was glad that they found away to take care of one another. They always divided the food they had, but fed the younger ones first.

"It is almost dark, we should go," I told Laineth.

She looked disappointed, but nodded anyways. "Can we come tomorrow?"

All of the children looked at me hopefully. How was I supposed to say no to those faces? "We will come tomorrow morning with more food," I announced.

They all smiled widely. I knew they did not receive a meal everyday, so this was a grand luxury to them. "Thank you, Miss Rosel," Iestwen said, tugging at my dress.

I bent down and embraced her. "I will see you tomorrow."

Laineth, Pippin and I walked back to the Citadel as fast as our legs could carry us. It was after nightfall when we made it back. After I argued with the guards, we made it into the courtyard. Boromir was there with Gandalf.

Boromir was not as angry as I thought he would be. I supposed he expected me to sneak out again, but I also suspected the fact I was with Pippin calmed him. In fact, he smiled at all three of us.

"Master Peregrine!" he greeted Pippin.

Pippin smiled up at Boromir. "Boromir!"

"I heard that you arrived from Rohan this morning. From what Gandalf told me, you have had quite the adventure."

Pippin nodded. "I have been, and now am really tired…" he yawned for effect.

Boromir chuckled. "Well, you were gone all day. I suppose Laineth showed you the City. Rosel has not left the Citadel very much."

"Laineth took Rosel and me down to the third level! I saw almost the entire city in one day!" Pippin exclaimed.

"The third level? Sweet Eru! What could have been so important all the way down there?"

Laineth looked scared now. I was a little worried too. What if we were not supposed to take that food from the kitchen? In fact, I wondered if all of that food was scraps and not just food that Laineth had swiped when the cook was not looking.

"We just went shopping," I lied smoothly.

Boromir knew there was an alternate motive, but he did not seem to be curious about what it was. If I was by myself, that would be another story. But since Laineth and Pippin were with me, I am sure he did not mind that I left. Knowing Boromir, I doubt he would have given a second thought to yelling at me in front of my friends.

Pippin gave me a confused glance, but I just waved it off by speaking to Gandalf. "I heard that you were here by some miracle," I said excitedly. Honestly, I was struggling not to embrace him to make sure he was not some sort of hallucination.

"It is good to see you well, child. I know you have been through much as well," he replied.

"Not as much as you. Coming back from the dead and being shot are two very different things," I said smiling. Laineth looked dizzy and confused.

"It has been too long."

I grinned and nodded in agreement. It seemed like a little piece of the world had been set right again. My world went from a loud clamor of noises being thrown together, to a soothing lullaby now that Gandalf and Pippin were back. Laineth's presence helped as well. She had become my unofficial little sister that day.

After supper, we all headed to our chambers. Laineth was still staying in mine, so she followed me back. "Thank you so much for taking me today," she said in a low voice.

Once we were in the chamber, I squatted down to her level and embraced her. "What we did was a wonderful thing, and I cannot wait to see Doron, Rodwen, Iestwen and all the others tomorrow. There is no need to thank me," I said.

Laineth began to sob at my words. "It is not fair! Why does this place throw away so much when we are all starving?"

I had almost sworn I would never say these four words, for anything. Whether it be scolding a child or giving words of advice, I had always refused to say what I was about to say. The only problem was that the words fit. It was no consolation, only truth. Unfortunately, the truth was cruel. "The world is not fair, or we would not have had to do that today."

"I know…" Laineth said as I wiped away her tears. Her cheeks had become rounder since being in the Citadel and I could no longer see her bones as easily. She had gained quite a bit of weight and looked healthy.

"We should go to bed early so we can get to the kitchen tomorrow to bring them breakfast."

Laineth smiled and nodded. "Is Pippin coming?"

"Of course," I replied, grinning.

"Good," she said, crawling under the blankets.

"Goodnight, Laineth." I blew out the lamp and let the cover of darkness take over the room, and waited patiently for tomorrow to come.

**A/N: Hello world! I have been up since four A.M. this morning, and on the way back from my Cross Country meet, our bus broke down. Yay waiting in the desert for a mechanic! Anyways, I worked hard on this chapter with help from my lovely beta, Lady Demiya! Love you! I also love the people who put me on alert, favorite and review! Shout outs!**

**Elvenprincess3019: I love having a regular like you lol. I like Laineth too! In fact, I love kids, so we'll see how this one turns out!**

**Please review! They make me happy!**


	17. Romance

It seemed so trivial, staying in the Citadel. I had been a rule breaker, but, today was different. Laineth and I were receiving the pleasure of dining with the Steward of Gondor.

Needless to say, I was extremely nervous. Laineth had tried several times to calm me, but her attempts failed. She made me even more nervous. She told me, "You will not knock over your wine." and "I promise, there will be no way that you can spit food onto the Steward." All those words did was cause those scenes to play in my mind. I was convinced that something was going to happen. It always did.

Tonight was very special, according to Maedeth, who was the handmaiden trying to get me ready. I had to make a good impression, but she was taking it too far. This made me even more anxious.

"Your hair is ridiculous," Maedeth said.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Your curls refuse to detangle! All I want to do is a braided bun, but I cannot even pull a brush through here."

I rolled my eyes at her exaggeration, but smiled.

"It is a pretty color though," Maedeth added.

"Thank you," I said. "My mother and I are the only ones in our family with it."

Maedeth smiled and continued to brush my hair quietly.

When my hair was finally done, Maedeth helped me dress. She yanked the strings around my corset and nearly took the breath out of me. "Is that tight enough?" she asked, oblivious to the grunt I had let out at her pulling.

"Loosen it please," I squeaked.

"Oh! I am so sorry!" she exclaimed loosening the strings.

I sighed in content as the corset loosened. "That feels much better."

"Good! Laineth is ready, and it is time for supper. Lord Denethor and Lord Boromir are already in the dining hall," Maedeth said, leading me out of my chamber.

"Rosel!" I heard Laineth's voice echo down the marble corridor. She was sprinting towards me and her loud footsteps were drawing attention from the servants.

"Hush, child. Walk please! I spent to long on your hair for it to be ruined because you wanted to run," Maedeth chided her.

Laineth gave her a sweet smile. "Yes ma'am." Scolding never frightened her. She had faced far more severe punishments in her lifetime.

Supper was quiet, and not the good silence either. It was not the silence that lets you think of important things and relax in the presence of a dear friend. It was the kind that made you nervous tremendously, because you know that you should be saying something, but you can't think of anything to say. If supper had been any more awkward, we would have been dead.

Finally, Denethor spoke. "It has been a long time since we have had a formal supper together, Boromir."

I continued to shove more food in my mouth, hoping it would prevent any stupid comments from my behalf.

"There has been much to do regarding our military. It has been keeping me quite busy," Boromir replied curtly. I wondered if dinner was always so quiet and awkward here.

Laineth shot me a worried glance from across the table. She was so young and had no idea how to avoid looking stupid. Although, I was not much better than a toddler in that department. So I shoved more food into my mouth. Laineth followed.

"Rosel," Denethor addressed me.

I almost choked on the wine I was sipping. Fortunately, I composed myself in time for Denethor to speak with me. I set my wine glass down and focused my gaze on him.

"Boromir has told me much of you. I have heard of your family. Be aware that the emissary is at your disposal. I am sure your husband is worried about you."

Laineth cocked an eyebrow at me. I turned my gaze to Boromir. Quickly, he motioned for me to respond. He was obviously the one who told his father that I was married. The question was, why?

"That is very kind of you, my Lord," I said, trying to remain calm.

"How have you enjoyed your stay here at the Citadel?"

"It is very beautiful. The city is magnificent and the people are very kind."

Denethor was obviously pleased by my answer. I relaxed quite a bit now that I was sure he liked me.

Dinner continued in silence. When we had finished and were excused, I pulled Boromir aside. "Why am I married?" I asked.

Boromir sighed. "It is a little complicated. My father has been pressuring me to get married for a while now, and I was worried that he would put you in an uncomfortable situation."

I nodded. "I see," I replied. Royal life seemed so easy, yet so complicated. It seemed like their only concern was continuing their line, but then you had a person like Boromir. These royals were too focused on improving their country to care about who was next in line. "Thank you then, I suppose. Did you give him a name?"

"No, so be creative," he replied, grinning.

"I hope you know that this is going to be extremely difficult, trying to keep up my married status."

"I have faith in you. And if you fail, we will both be in a very bad situation."

That statement made me feel wonderful! Pressure was one of my favorite things….

~/~

"So you are not really married?" Laineth asked me for about the tenth time.

"No, Laineth," I sighed, exasperated by the question.

Laineth was oblivious to my irritation about the subject and continued walking around the fountain in one of the courtyards. She held her arms out and made sure she stayed balance on the narrow step next to the fountain.

"Good, because you should marry Boromir."

I resisted a violent urge to push her into the fountain, because that would require a lot of explaining on my part. Not to mention Laineth would never forgive me. She held grudges quite effectively. Instead of giving into my urge, I rolled my eyes.

"You do not understand anything about romance. You are seven, not even a teen."

Laineth stopped circling the fountain and put her hands on her hips then leaned on her right leg. I could not help but laugh at her attempt at intimidation.

"What?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Laineth, you are far from scary."

Laineth huffed and hopped off the fountain ledge. "Is it because I am seven?"

"That, and you are the smallest person I have ever met." I was not exaggerating when I said this. She was smaller than Bellasiel who was two years her junior, almost three.

"Quiet," she ordered.

"Yes, your majesty," I replied sarcastically, giving her a fake curtsey.

Laineth laughed but chased me back indoors. "Do you dare mock me?" she called jokingly.

I laughed and sprinted up some stairs. Boromir happened to be in the corridor that Laineth and I arrived in. He was also with a woman. Quickly, I grabbed Laineth's arm and pulled her out of view. Thankfully, Boromir did not see us because of my quick reaction.

Laineth knew to speak quietly. "What happened?" she whispered.

I pointed to the opening in our narrow hiding spot.

Laineth poked her head around the corner. Immediately, she pulled herself back into the corridor and sat next to me. She was gaping. "Who is she?" she asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, trying to appear indifferent. Little did Laineth know, I was seething with jealousy. Who in Middle-earth was that woman? Especially to be un-chaperoned with him. I may have not obeyed that rule, but most of the people in the Citadel thought I was married. Not only that, I was not from here and was an honored guest. She was probably one of the ladies of the court, not a nobody from a village in the middle of nowhere.

Laineth looked like she was pondering a very important issue before leaving our hallway. I reached out to grab her arm, but missed because she was practically running down the hall.

I decided to see what Laineth was doing, so I peered out of the corridor.

Boromir smiled when he saw Laineth, the woman with him looked irritated, but tried to smile anyways. "Hello, Laineth," he greeted her.

She grinned widely at him. "Hello, my Lord. Have you seen Rosel?" she asked. It was then I knew what she was doing and how little credit I had given her. Maybe she did know something about romance. At least she knew how not to make it work.

The woman did nothing to hide her frustration this time. She frowned and asked, "Who is she?"

Before Boromir could try to reverse what Laineth had done, she came up with a reply. "She is the lady who has been staying here for the past few weeks as Lord Boromir's guest."

The woman looked very upset now. Laineth just blinked innocently at her, even though she was far from it. Boromir's jaw was clenched, but he tried to remain calm.

"You never said anything about her," the woman said, angered by the news.

"Well, I am surprised you have not heard about her," Laineth added before Boromir could say anything. This little girl was amazing.

"Me too," the woman said flatly while she glared at Boromir.

Boromir bit his lip.

"So, have you seen her?" Laineth asked.

"I am afraid not. Try the library," Boromir said, attempting to act like nothing happened.

Laineth nodded and dashed back towards me. Boromir did not notice her escape into the side hall because the woman he was with was yelling at him.

I had to restrain myself from laughing when she grinned at me. "Thank you, Laineth," she said with humor.

"You are a terrible child," I retorted jokingly.

~/~

"Her face when you said I was a guest!" I laughed with Laineth.

"She looked like she was going to murder him!" Laineth giggled.

It was very late at night but we were still laughing about what Laineth had done. Although it seemed immature, it was great fun. Laineth was amazing company considering how young she was. It was almost as fun as playing with Amoniel or Bellasiel. Laineth was so different from them though, she acted like a teen, not like a child.

Laineth's mood turned serious. "You know why I did that, right?"

I shook my head.

"I think you and Boromir need to get married."

"Ignore any compliments from earlier. You just lost them all," I told her flatly.

Laineth huffed. "I only speak the truth."

"If the truth is your narrow view on romance, then I suppose. But it is not so."

"I do not understand why you keep denying that you love him."

"Because I do not love him!" I insisted.

Laineth ignore the comment and continued prying. "Rosel, you have traveled with him for three months now and saved his life."

"He is a dear friend of mine, but I have no romantic interest." I stood by my claims, no matter how false.

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"Yes, I do. Now be quiet and go to bed," I said, blowing out the lamps that dimly lit our room.

"You are just upset because…" she began.

"Goodnight, Laineth," I interrupted harshly, before throwing the blanket over my body.

"Fine," she muttered.

The next morning, Laineth was called into Boromir's office. Needless to say, I was terrified about what was going to happen to her. What she did yesterday had made me happy, but certainly angered Boromir. Of course, Laineth had this way of brushing off lectures that made one think she did not even listen. And if she did that, she did not care. I just hoped she could keep her composure.

Anxiously, I pressed my ear against the door. It probably was not a good idea considering Boromir did not know of my presence during the event of yesterday. He presumed I was innocent. Although, that was partially the truth, because I had no idea what Laineth's intentions were. I should have stopped her though. I knew that her intentions were not good, and that was enough.

"But you love her!" Laineth exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes.

"Laineth, if I did I would have done something about it by now!" Boromir retorted.

"No, you would not! You are too worried she does not love you."

I heard Boromir sigh. "Laineth, you are very…"

"Yes! I am aware of my age!" Laineth snapped.

"Well, then you know why I am going to completely disregard your so called advice."

"You are so stubborn!"

"Laineth, you have to understand…" Boromir was cut off by soldiers shouting in the courtyard.

Curious, I left the doorway and headed outside. Pippin was there, watching Pelennor Fields anxiously with several soldiers. From seven levels below, I heard the gates groan in frustration as the guards opened them. Once I made it to where all the guards were standing and shoved my way through them, I watched.

The sight below me was horrendous. A few hundred men on horses were having a race for their lives. Three Nazg_ûl _were atop fell beasts chasing the men away from Osgiliath. I only had a moment to register what I was seeing before one of the beasts let out a deafening screech. My hands flew over my ears and I tried to keep my eyes open. I had to see the fate of these men. The beasts picked up several of the horses and tossed them aside like rag dolls. I threatened to vomit, but I could not stop watching.

Before long, Gandalf rode to their aid. His horse, Shadowfax, sprinted through the flurry of men and horses fearlessly. He lifted his staff and a blinding white light shone from the top. The Nazgûl stopped their advance and let out another howl before turning and retreating to Osgiliath.

Relief flooded my body as I saw the surviving men escape within the city walls. Quickly, I turned back around. Laineth was there with Boromir.

Boromir looked deathly pale. I knew it must have been extremely difficult to watch that horrific scene. He had gone to battle with almost all of those men and he knew them and was their friend.

Laineth just looked shocked. "W-what was that?" she asked, shaking. I was almost upset with Boromir for letting her watch that, but she had probably insisted on coming with him.

"Laineth, go inside," I ordered, knowing that the men would come up to the Citadel to report the state of Osgiliath.

Instead of arguing like usual, she obeyed.

"Boromir, are you all right?" I asked, concerned. He had not removed his eyes from Pelennor Fields.

"Faramir was in Osgiliath," Boromir said, finally looking down at me.

I could not comprehend the pain he was feeling. There was no way to predict what I would do if any of my sisters died. It would be the end of my world, and time would stop around me. They were my reason for existence after my father died, and I am sure that Boromir had a strong bond with his brother.

"He made it," I reassured him.

Boromir pulled me into an embrace. At first, I felt awkward seeing as how there were so many men in the courtyard. But I knew that he needed some form of comfort right now, so I returned the embrace. I squeezed tightly and buried my face in his tunic.

We did not let go until the gates opened. I turned slowly, scared that Faramir would not be among the crowd. Thankfully, he was. I felt so happy that Boromir would not have to be put through the loss of a sibling.

**A/N: It's been so long! Sorry :( I have been really busy lately...The Holidays are coming up though, so I've got time! Plus I finally finished Oedipus and Antigone so I don't spend my nights annotating them for the devil...I mean my English teacher...:D Now I just have to read Ray Bradbury's stuff, and at least he writes in modern English! Anyways, thanks as always to my AMAZING beta Lady Demiya! She's amazing! Thanks to the people who favorited and put me on alert, and most of all reviewed! Shout outs!**

**Elvenprincess: I love Laineth! She's actually my favorite character in this whole thing. And the one with the most common sense. I am happy Rosel and Boromir are getting along right now too hahaha. They're always fighting :D**

**Lady Fireflower: Thank you so much for reviewing! They make me happy:) Hope you liked the update!**

**Please review! I will be so happy!**


	18. Nightmare

The fear was palpable in the air. Minas Tirith was no longer as happy and lively as it had once been. Everything had slowed. There were very few people on the streets anymore and half the merchants had closed their shops. Soldiers made up the majority of the population now. The city was preparing for an attack. And with Osgiliath claimed by the Enemy, an attack was eminent. It frightened me to my very core.

I tried to keep my mind off it during the day by playing with Laineth. It did not seem to help much anymore seeing as she was frightened as well. She had faced much in her life, but not war. When we went to the house on the third level yesterday, she warned her friends of an oncoming attack. They panicked.

Doron asked if they could stay in the Citadel, and it had taken all my strength to refuse. Instead, I had Boromir keep a few guards by the home at all times.

"When do you think it will happen?" Laineth asked in a whisper.

I knew of what she was speaking. "I do not have the slightest idea," I replied honestly. "I believe that Faramir is the strategist. Ask him."

"Speaking of which," Laineth started, and played her chess piece effectively. "I heard him, Boromir and the Steward arguing last night."

"Really?" I asked curiously. "About what?"

"I think that they were arguing whether or not to go and reclaim Osgiliath," she said calmly. Clearly, Laineth had no clue as to how awful the results would be for Gondor.

"Who won?"

"Boromir and Faramir. They will not be trying to reclaim the city. Although, I see the Steward's point."

I suppose I could as well. Osgiliath was the most important fortress of Gondor. It was the border between Sauron's forces and Gondor. Now that the Enemy had taken it, an attack would be rather easy to plan. But the lives of the soldiers needed to be preserved for the upcoming attack. No matter what, the Enemy would not stop until Gondor had fallen.

"Checkmate," Laineth said, knocking over my king. "Want to play again?" she asked, starting to put her pieces back in their original places on the board.

I shook my head. "You have beaten me twice now," I replied.

Laineth grinned. "It is really fun."

Rolling my eyes, I rose off the chair. "I think we are done with chess for the day."

"You are a sore loser," Laineth retorted.

"So? Maybe I just got bored," I defended myself.

"Whatever you say, Rosel."

~/~

Laineth was in our room when I went down to the dining hall. It was late and I had missed dinner because I was reading in the library.

My footsteps echoed down the empty marble halls. The moonlight was shining in through the small windows and created shadows all along the white walls and floors. My figure was reflected all around me. It was eerie how quiet it was. Not even the servants were cleaning. I walked faster, feeling a little scared. It seemed like the whole wing was already asleep. However, the sun had sunk behind the horizon only two hours before. The kitchen was empty as well.

I reached up to the pantry but stopped abruptly when I heard arguing from outside the door. Quickly, I searched for a hiding place before the voices stormed into the kitchen. I dived into one of the large pantries and shut the door as fast and quietly as I could.

"They are going to be here in a matter of days!" someone exclaimed. The voice was so muffled by the wooden door I was leaning against; I couldn't make out who it was.

"Well, what do you suppose we do?" I heard a cabinet slam. "We cannot order for the citizens to escape! Where will they go? The best chance we have is here."

Silence overwhelmed the room. "Reclaiming Osgiliath may be the best chance we have," the first voice said softly.

"That is suicide, and you know it! All it would do would kill soldiers that we need."

"But what if it works?"

Laughter. "There is one problem with that. It will fail. Osgiliath is overrun."

More silence. "So, we wait for our doom."

"That seems to be our only choice. Though, the beacons were lit a long time ago. Still, Rohan has not answered. We have been deserted," the first voice finished grimly.

My blood ran cold. After the conversation I had just heard, I was sure everyone in Minas Tirith was doomed to die. I considered taking a horse from the stables and riding away. Anywhere. But I could not abandon Laineth and Boromir. I could have easily convinced Laineth to come, but Boromir would never leave his people in a time like this. That would be madness to him. Cowardly, it was, but it was also a way to ensure survival. And I was determined to get back home, even if it meant being the biggest coward imaginable. I doubted that Boromir could ever forgive me for running away, but I was so frightened of death. Specifically death by torture.

I waited for hours in the cramped pantry. The claustrophobia was starting to affect me. I started perspiring like mad and my breathing would not hear of being controlled. My lungs were fighting for every ounce of air I could manage, but they never seemed to retain enough. At one point, I started trembling and I felt like I was going to vomit. All I wanted to do was kick down the door and lay on the floor until I managed to catch my breath, but the voices refused to leave the kitchen.

Finally, they left. I managed to hang on a few moments before thrusting the pantry door open. I stumbled out and gasped for air. Gratefully, my lungs expanded widely. My hair was stuck to my face and my dress felt like it was permanently glued to my body, but it did not matter. I was free from my dungeon at last.

It was past midnight when I made it back to mine and Laineth's room. I did not bother changing into my nightgown before passing out on my bed.

_The city was burning. I was sprinting down the city levels, reaching for some unknown goal. I was so desperate that I just had to make it. So desperate, that I shoved aggressively through the packs of panicked people running the opposite direction. _

_I stopped when I reached my goal. The house that was the home to all those poor children; it was draped in an inferno. The flames fanned out and set the homes around it on fire as well. I did not move, though. I just watched as the flames continued to spread until almost the entire third level was ablaze. _

_Finally, I reacted. I screeched loudly and ran up. But it was too late. There was no way through the flames and I took one step too close to them. I watched as my dress receded upwards and burned my legs. The brilliant blue of my dress was disintegrating into ash and my pale legs were an angry red. The right side of my body was on fire. _

"Rosel! Rosel!" Laineth shook me.

I heard a woman screaming. It took a moment to realize it was me. My screams were caught in my throat when I started to sob.

Laineth embraced me and rocked me back and forth. I felt so pathetic being comforted by a seven year old, but it was better than being alone. "Shh…" she soothed me.

I continued to wail. It was an awful nightmare because of how real everything was. I remembered every face of the people who pushed past me when I was going to the third level. I remembered the way the fire felt on my legs and the exact angles the homes around me collapsed. I remembered the exact pitches of every child's scream for their parents and the shades of the reds and blues of the flames. The sordid details were branded into my mind forever.

"What happened?" Laineth asked when I managed to calm myself to only silent tears.

I shook my head, refusing to speak of the horrors my sleep had brought me.

"It will make you feel better to talk about it," she insisted.

Again, I denied her request. I highly doubted that reliving that horrible nightmare would help calm my nerves.

"All right, then," she said, giving up her attempts to change my nightmare into words.

I did not trust that I could speak without bursting into tears again, so I remained silent as Laineth and I sat in bed together. But someone interrupted us with a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Laineth called, knowing I would not want any unnecessary company.

"Pippin!" he answered.

Laineth looked at me, raising her eyebrows asking wordlessly if I wished for his company. I had not seen him in a while, so I nodded.

Laineth hopped off the bed and walked swiftly towards the door. "Come in," she invited Pippin into our chamber.

"Boromir sent me to come get you two. The Steward has requested our presence," Pippin said.

"Just us four?" Laineth asked.

"Gandalf and Faramir as well."

Laineth nodded. "Give Rosel and me a few minutes and we will be in the throne room."

"All right, see you then," Pippin said before exiting.

"I wonder what that is about…" I heard Laineth mutter while she picked out a dress for me to wear. "Here, get dressed."

I stood up unsteadily. Once I gained my footing, I threw on the red dress and pulled my hair into a tight bun. I wiped some stray tears, but they were quickly replaced. The last thing I wanted was to be seen in public in this state. Laineth sensed this and tried to reassure me. "You look fine."

I highly doubted this, but I nodded and forced myself to smile.

Salty tears would not stop streaming down my face as I made my way to the throne room. No matter how many times I wiped them away, they were always there, resistant as ever. Laineth's small hand slipped into mine. When I looked down at her, she smiled warmly and squeezed my hand, offering what comfort she could give.

As I walked down the corridor, I remembered my experience in the kitchen the night before. It was what caused the nightmare, most likely. My fear of death caused my mind to wander, which created those horrific images of fire and death. Last night had shaken me to my core. Unfortunately, my core had no bravery, just fear and cowardice. Laineth had seen me for what I truly was - a frightened village girl who had no place in this war. She knew the real me and did not hate me, or change her mind about me every other week.

We finally made it to the throne room. Laineth and I were the last to arrive, which earned us a glare from Denethor. This unnerved me further, so the tears came faster. I wiped them away quickly and sniffled. I had to remain composed in front of the Steward.

"Now that all of you are present," Denethor began, shooting Laineth and I one more dirty look. "I would like to inform you of something important. This should just be discussed with my sons, but they insisted you all heard as well." I had never seen the Steward look so displeased in my short time in the Citadel. He looked beyond displeased. He was livid.

"We will not attempt to reclaim Osgiliath, but because of this, Minas Tirith will be attacked. Rohan has not responded to any plea for help."

Suddenly, I am back in the pantry. The walls of the throne room start to close in and my breathing picked up. Sweat joined the tears that had inhabited my face all morning. The tiny box started whirl and dizziness took over. My knees buckled, I fell straight to the floor and hit my head on the perfect, white marble. Blackness took over.

"She has been like this all morning…" I heard Laineth say. She sounded so worried. It almost made me feel guilty for passing out.

"What happened?" Gandalf asked.

"She was kicking and screaming all night. She had a nightmare, and she refused to tell me about it. I just decided to leave it alone, but on the way to the throne room, she could not stop crying. It was hard to watch. The moment Denethor mentioned Osgiliath she turned so pale; I thought she had died right on the spot. Well… you know what happened next," Laineth finished softly.

Instead of having to explain my nightmare, I decided to go back to sleep. I was exhausted, but afraid of what nightmares may come if I slept. Finally, I could not fight the sleep with closed eyes. I did not even realize when I drifted off.

When I woke again, I was back in mine and Laineth's chamber. Laineth was reading an old, leather book on a small chair near the door and did not notice I had woken until I tried to walk.

"Lie back down," she ordered, slamming her book shut.

"I-I am fine," I wobbled towards her as an attempt to prove I had miraculously healed. Laineth did not believe me.

"Lie down," she repeated.

I obliged before falling to the cold stone floor.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked.

"All day," she replied handing me some water. I drank it gratefully.

I thought back to when Laineth was speaking to Gandalf. Feeling guilty about possibly keeping her up all night, I asked about what she had said. "Did you really hear me screaming all night?"

Laineth nodded. "Yes, and you sounded awful too. I honestly thought you were being stabbed while we were sleeping," she replied. "You would lapse in and out of it too, so I did not wake you until you started thrashing about."

"I-I am so sorry," I stuttered.

Laineth smiled. "It is not your fault."

Her consolation did little to suppress how awful I was feeling. Not only that, I was still exhausted. Despite that, I had been unconscious all day, it did little to rejuvenate me. The stress of my situation was starting to affect me, and my body was paying for it now. Although, the dull pain in my head was clearly from falling on the floor.

I settled back under the blankets. "I will bring your dinner in here," Laineth said, leaving the chamber.

I sighed in response and shut my eyes for a nap. But my mind wandered. War. Ring. Nazgûl. Fire. Hobbits. Death. Laineth. Boromir. Me. Everything screams in my dreams tonight.

**A/N: I feel like this chapter was too short...Well, I promise you next chapter WILL be long and action-y. Thanks so much to my beta, Lady Demiya! You rock my world :D I also want to thank everyone who put me on alert and favorited me! Shout outs!**

**Elvenprincess3019: I agree. But Boromir is way too stubborn for his own good... Of course, we didn't get much of him in this chapter. I promise, next chapter will be exciting!**

**Review!**


	19. Attack Part I

**A/N: Hello! I forgot to mention this last chapter, but the last line was partially stolen from the Hunger Games novel Mockingjay. It's a great series and I would recommend it! Anyways, I don't own Lord of the Rings. Just Rosel and Laineth! Enjoy :D**

It had only been a couple days since the start of my nightmares, but it felt longer. I did not sleep. For one, I was too afraid. The horrors of my dreams were so real that I could look at the street and recall what tragedy my mind had conjured up for that one particular spot. But when my body betrayed me and I did fall asleep, I woke up an hour or so later screeching like someone was going to slit my throat.

My nightmares did not go unnoticed. Not only did Laineth know, but Boromir knew also. He could see the obvious dark circles forming under my eyes. Anybody could tell by first glance that I was not sleeping. I looked like the walking dead.

Laineth and I were sitting on the balcony one evening eating supper. She had ordered the servants to bring it here, because I had to rest as much as possible. It would not help my energy deprivation, but it brought my mind peace. Thankfully, our balcony did not have the horrid view of Mordor that most other windows in the Citadel did. We got a view of the Anduin River, which created an aura of calm for Laineth and I.

"It is so quiet," Laineth finally said, picking at a piece of fruit on her plate. Normally I would have chided her for doing so, but I was so exhausted I could not care less.

I nodded. "The calm before the storm."

Laineth gave me a sad smile. She knew as well as I did that an attack was eminent. In fact, I thought it a miracle that Minas Tirith had lasted so long without one. It did not matter, though. Rohan had abandoned us, so no matter what, we were doomed.

Laineth and I had formulated a plan in these past few days, however. We both refused to leave Laineth's friends in the creaky, old wooden house down on the third level. It was far too vulnerable. Plus, my dream was bound to come true if I did not take action. All of those innocent children trapped in a burning house… It was too much to think of. Thus, the plan was born. At the first sign of an attack, we were to rush down to the third level and get all the children out and back up to the Citadel. It seemed simple enough, but we would most likely have to convince the guards to let us leave. After that, it was a matter of getting there fast enough.

"You need to sleep," Laineth insisted after supper.

I shook my head stubbornly like a child who wanted to stay up later, because they wanted to seem like an adult. "I do not wish for more nightmares."

Laineth sighed. "Fine…"

With my victory in tact, I decided to head down to the library. Reading had been my most useful tool in keeping my mind off my nightmares. Unfortunately, it did little to keep my body awake. So after picking up my first book of the night and reading a few pages, my eyes slowly closed and sleep took over.

_All I could hear were voices. There were no vivid images, no smells, and no textures for me to feel. Just blackness and voices. _

"_Come back!" I heard Boromir yell from somewhere in the dark. _

"_Rosel, we need to hurry!" Laineth's high voice rang. _

_Several screams I did not recognize filled the darkness for a few seconds before cutting off abruptly. _

_Finally, a flurry of voices came. All I could make out were a few words. _

"_Dead…"_

"_Pity…"_

"_Far too young…" _

I woke up drenched in a cold sweat. Even though I had another nightmare, I was grateful that it was not as horrid as some of the others. Also, I did not wake up screaming. However, my presence was not unnoticed.

On the chair across from mine, Boromir was reading a large book. It only took a moment for him to realize that I was awake. He slammed the book shut and set it down before walking towards me. "Are you feeling well?" he asked, looking down at me with concern.

I nodded. "Just another nightmare."

Boromir believed me, but did not seem too happy with my answer. "Again?"

I sighed. "Yes. They have not been pleasant."

"Well, you did not appear to be sleeping peacefully." There was a brief silence. "I wanted to apologize for being so distant lately…" he began.

"I understand." Obviously, the impending attack was going to command his attention. Why he was apologizing was beyond me.

Boromir and I were quiet once again. I really did not mind it at all, though, considering we were both in different stages of insomnia. I looked around the library, trying to see if any one else was here. It was empty, which was uncommon. "What time is it?" I asked, figuring it must be very late or very early for it to be empty.

"Almost dawn," Boromir answered. "I came down because I could not sleep."

I nodded and sighed. "It's a wonder anyone can sleep here anymore."

Boromir shook his head. "I agree. But it's also a wonder that it has taken this long for the Enemy to attack. I suppose they thought we would try and reclaim Osgiliath," he mused.

"Well, I do not think that would have been very wise."

"Strategist now, are we?" Boromir gave me a wry smile.

I smiled back and laughed lightly. "You agree with me!" I insisted.

Boromir shrugged, his smile never leaving his lips. "That is not a feat. Now, if Faramir agrees with you…" I almost interrupted him, but he noticed my mouth open and held his hand up to let him continue. Hesitantly, I closed my mouth. "And you formulate the opinion on your own…"

I interrupted him this time easily enough. "I did!"

Boromir raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised. "I underestimated you, Rosel."

"Legolas taught me a simple understanding in Lórien, but it was mostly so I could formulate a plan during the heat of battle. Not very much pre-battle strategy," I explained.

Boromir nodded.

Mentioning Legolas made me feel slightly guilty. I really had not given our friends a spare thought since Gandalf and Pippin arrived here in the city. But when I began thinking of them, I felt a little betrayed as well. If they were in Rohan, then why have they not come to Gondor's aid? Despite my feeling of betrayal, I missed them. It was rare that I even saw Boromir most days, and Laineth had become my only company. Pippin was always with Gandalf who was dealing with Gondor's military along with Boromir and Faramir. To be honest, I felt very left out.

"What are you thinking about?" Boromir asked, noticing the vacant look in my eyes.

I turned my attention back to him. "Our friends," I said.

Boromir looked troubled. I thought that he was wondering the same thing as me, if they were in Rohan, then why had they not come to Gondor's aid? "We have heard nothing of them since Gandalf and Pippin informed us of their whereabouts."

"I know, and it worries me," I said.

Boromir placed his large hand on mine and squeezed it. The action was meant to offer me comfort, and it did, but it also made me flush. Especially, because he made no move to remove his hand from mine, and it frightened me that I did not want him to. "I am sure they are well," Boromir reassured me.

I looked at Boromir wide eyed. He began to lean towards me, and I still was undecided. I knew I loved him, but there was something holding me back. After all we had been through together, I just felt unworthy to be loved by such a noble man. I was not of noble blood and had been bedded by another man. I did not deserve him.

Before our lips met, we heard the doors of the library open. Dawn must have broken. Boromir and I sprang to opposite ends of the bench and Faramir found us. "Boromir! You are needed at once. The armies of Mordor have arrived; the city is under attack," he said grimly. Before racing off with his brother, Boromir gave me an apologetic glance.

I was alone. But before I could begin to sob, and think of what just occurred between Boromir and I, or tremble in fear, I went to go find Laineth. We had to reach the third level of the city and get the children to the Citadel.

I sprinted down the marble halls to mine and Laineth's chamber. Of course, she was not there. Instead of panicking, I dug around the chamber to find my dagger that I still had from home. My quiver and bow seemed too cumbersome and heavy for my impending race down to the third level. I strapped the dagger around my waist and headed for the secret exit in the kitchens.

As I jogged to the kitchens, I looked around frantically for Laineth. The halls were crowded with servants and cooks who were heading in the opposite direction. Laineth should have been easy to spot, but the number of people in the halls made it impossible to even travel in a straight line let alone look for a little girl.

When I made it to the doorway out of the kitchens, I still had no idea where Laineth was. I began to wonder if she had left the Citadel without me. It seemed plausible knowing Laineth. Quickly, I asked a guard, "Have you seen a little girl leave through that alleyway?"

He nodded nervously. Obviously, he had somewhere to be. "She had black hair."

It had to be Laineth. "Thank you!" I called as I sprinted down to the third level.

It was sheer madness in the city. People were screaming and running in every direction. Children sat in the street crying for their mothers that may or may not come. Merchants were grabbing every piece of merchandise they could from their shops and stands, and running away. All of the chaos was making it so difficult for the City Guard to try and form along the walls, which was extremely necessary.

I pushed and shoved my way through the flood of people. I had just reached the fifth level when I heard a sudden rise in the volume of the screams. My head snapped towards Pelennor, and I saw a huge stone flying towards the city. The impact knocked my feet out from under me, and I landed flat on my back. Breathing was impossible for a few moments, but I got back onto my feet unsteadily. I began to run once more only to be knocked on my side this time. Rocks were relentlessly being catapulted at the city.

When I had managed to run for about five minutes without being knocked to the ground, I gained some confidence in the plan. Laineth was absent - yes, but it was probably better that way. She had a tendency not to think before her actions, and that could cost her, her life in this situation. Then I remembered that she was still out here. I feared that something dreadful had happened to her, so I ran faster.

When I reached the fourth level, a chill came over my body. A deafening screech filled the air and my hands flew over my ears. The Nazgul atop fell beasts were swarming around the city. I registered their presence and in the next moment, I noticed another stone being hurled at the city. This one was headed straight for the fourth level. As fast as I could, I sprinted away from where the stone was headed. Once it made contact with the white walls of the city, bricks flew everywhere and I was thrown into the air. My impact back to the street was not pleasant. It was so much more painful than the other times I had been knocked down. This time, I had managed to land face first onto the stone street. I could taste blood in my mouth and felt blood trickling down my now broken nose. Gasping for air, I pushed myself back up and wobbled towards the third level.

Finally, I had made it to the house. Laineth was there - thank the Valar. I recognized the brilliant blue dress that we had bought in the city just yesterday.

"Laineth!" I cried.

Laineth stood still, and I followed her gaze. The house that her friends lived in was on fire. I felt absolutely awful just watching it. "Did they make it out?" I asked quietly.

"No," she whispered, tears escaping her eyes.

I noticed that the inferno was spreading, and the details from my first nightmare returned. The last thing I wanted was to catch on fire, but Laineth refused to move. "Laineth, we need to leave, now!" I ordered frantically. It was going to be difficult to escape the third level with the fire.

I tugged on Laineth's arm in a desperate attempt to awake her from her trance. "Come on!" I urged.

No response.

"Laineth, please!" I begged.

Something snapped within her and she finally began to run away from the house. Quickly, I followed, carefully avoiding any small spark of flame. Laineth was not as cautious as I.

In an instant that seemed to be in slow motion, a breeze picked up Laineth's dress. The blue dress flew into a small patch of fire and began burning her. Laineth screeched in terror as the flames ate her dress. The rank stench of burning flesh filled the air, and I tried not to vomit. I had to get to Laineth.

I began to sprint in her direction, but a strong arm wrapped around my waist. "NO!" I shrieked at whoever was holding me back. But it was too late. Laineth was completely on fire. I heard her scream once more before her body fell limp and lifeless onto the street.

"LAINETH!" I screamed. I threw all my weight at the person holding me back, still trying to get to Laineth - even if it was just her corpse. I continued to struggle until the reality sank in. She was gone.

Suddenly, I began to wail. Screams of agony were mixed in with my sobs and tears. The person who had held me back began to drag me towards the fourth level. "LET ME GO!" I yelled, throwing my weight against them.

When we finally reached the fourth level, my struggles led to some success. Their arm slipped off my waist and I was free. Instead of running back towards the Citadel, I had to face who prevented me from saving Laineth. I threw my fist in the man's direction and hit him square in the jaw. He stumbled backwards and I took the opportunity tackle him. Once I had him pinned down, I grabbed my dagger and held it at his throat.

The tears in my eyes blurred my vision, but I would recognize that face anywhere. It was Malgelir. Just his mere presence unhinged me further. He had taken so much from me and I wanted to burry my dagger deep into his neck.

"R-Rosel," Malgelir stammered.

I was not paying so much attention to what he said. Instead, I was struggling inside myself whether or not to kill him. All I had to do was push my dagger into his neck, and then he would be gone - like Laineth. My grip on the dagger grew so tight that my knuckles were turning white and I could no longer feel my hand. Before I decided, another stone slammed into the walls and I was knocked off him.

Malgelir ran away from me quickly as I tried to regain my footing. By the time I was standing, Malgelir had disappeared. I wanted to start sobbing again, but I had to get back to the Citadel. Silent tears streamed down my face as I tried to make my way back from where I came.

The plan had failed miserably. Not only had I failed to make it to the house in time to get the children out, Laineth was dead. The thought was making my heart break. I would never hear her lecture me about romance again; we could never spend a day in the city together again. It was awful, and Malgelir… I thought that I would never see him again after the tavern, but I had been sorely mistaken. He was partly responsible for the death of a friend, and my chance for revenge was gone.

I was stumbling blindly through the streets. My tears only allowed me to see the blurry outlines of figures, and even then, I kept walking into people. There was no urgency for me to get to the Citadel. Honestly, I was wishing for someone to just kill me.

After making it to the fifth level, I started to run again. I still could not see anything more than an arm's length away from me, but people behind me were pushing me so hard that I thought they would trample me.

The sixth level may have been the most chaotic level at the time. Almost all of the Gondorian Guard were lined up against the wall and were firing arrows down at Mordor's armies. Behind the soldiers, the citizens were all running for cover. It was impossible to navigate my way through the madness, especially with my mental state. I was about to give up and let the crowd trample me when a familiar voice called my name.

"Rosel!" Boromir grabbed my arm. "What are you doing out here?"

I wanted to tell him everything - that I had watched Laineth catch on fire and failed to save her because Malgelir stopped me. But I knew that he needed to focus on the battle, and my presence was already enough to distract him. "I-I…" I tried to explain myself.

Boromir just shook his head. "You must be mad for coming out here! I am taking you back to the Citadel."

I did not protest.

Boromir led me down a side street at a sprint. I knew he was eager to be back with his men during the battle and I felt awful for drawing him away from where he needed to be. The benefit, though, was he knew every street in the city, so he led me straight to a back entrance to the Citadel in no time.

"Stay here, for the love of the Valar," Boromir begged me.

I just nodded.

Boromir frowned. "What happened?" he asked. My broken nose, cuts, bruises and tears must have caught his attention.

"L-later," I stammered.

Boromir hesitantly nodded and gave me a nudge towards the door before racing off to battle once more. As I watched him leave, I could not help but to wonder if it would be the last time I saw him.

**A/N: Hello! Thanks for being patient with this one guys... Sorry but finals suck, and I have been busy this Christmas! But I got a new laptop, so it's all good :D. Thanks to Lady Demiya, my awesome beta! Thanks to everyone who put me on alert and favorited. Have a happy New Year everybody! **

**Review :D **


	20. Attack Part II

**A/N: READ THIS! Okay, I sort of messed around with dates for this chapter. The Siege of Gondor is no longer two days, but one. This is mostly for plot purposes so the Siege starts on March 14th and Rohan arrives on the 15th. Plus, attempting to reclaim Osgiliath never happened so it would have taken at least another day for Mordor to plan an attack. Anyways, I don't own Lord of the Rings! I just own Rosel and her family! **

As I watched Boromir run back into the battle, I felt I had made a grave mistake. I should go with him, I thought. Going into the carnage past the Citadel seemed far safer than thinking of Laineth. My heart had been burnt to ashes with Laineth's body, and if Boromir died… I could not live with myself. The thought of leaving my sisters pained me, but they were young and blessed with immortality. They could move on.

So, I disobeyed Boromir. I could not dive head first into the battle, however. My quiver and bow were still in my chamber, so I sprinted inside the Citadel. Tears still blurred my normally perfect vision, and I could not manage to run in a straight line.

After having to take a rather circuitous route, I reached my chamber. I entered cautiously as if I expected an assassin to jump out and murder me. But my reluctance was not out of fear of danger, but because the chamber held memories that Laineth and I had shared. Last night's dinner, when Laineth upset the lady who was with Boromir, and we spent hours laughing about it and our conversations before we went to sleep every night. She was too young to die. Her whole life had been ahead of her, and now it was gone.

I tried to avoid thoughts of Laineth while I tore through my chamber. Instead, I tried to design a plan for when I entered the battle. My priority after staying alive and killing Orcs would be to avoid Boromir at all costs. If he found me, he would take me to that chamber himself and lock me in there with all of those wretched memories of Laineth. It was going to be extremely difficult to concentrate on anything besides the battle, but I would have to make it work if I was to participate.

Once I found my quiver and bow, I raced out of my chamber. I vowed never to enter again.

I decided to exit through the kitchens, because of how close it was to the sixth level and it was inconspicuous. As soon as I exited, I ran towards the level below. I reached the sixth level quickly. If it was possible, it was even more chaotic than before. People were trying desperately to get to the fifth level, and I could see why. Trolls were pushing towers of Orcs towards the city walls.

My first intent was to run back to the Citadel. But I remembered Laineth's lingering presence there, so I stood frozen in place. Not only was my fear of thinking of Laineth driving me to stay away from the Citadel, but the need was so dire for anybody with a weapon, that the soldiers would not even tell me to get away. So I drew an arrow from my quiver and shot it at one of the trolls. It missed miserably and flew into the expanse of Pelennor.

My fear was making it extremely difficult to concentrate on aiming correctly. Also, I had not fired an arrow since Amon Hen. I felt like I was back in Lórien, how elusive that bulls-eye was… But now, if I failed to hit my mark, I was going to die. Thank the Valar it was not to that point yet, but if those trolls were not killed soon, then it would.

Quickly, I drew another arrow and prepared it to fire. I took my time to aim this try, and it paid off greatly. My arrow sank into one of the troll's eyes. It wailed in pain and fell backwards onto the Orcs standing too close below. A few men turned to look at me, one of them being Faramir. Even though I feared being sent back to the Citadel, I made eye contact with Faramir. He would not know the real reason why I was there, just that I wanted to fight. After the moment he took to decide, he nodded hesitantly, acknowledging my presence, and turned back to the battle.

I let go of the breath I was holding and turned to fire another arrow at the trolls. But something caught my eye other than any Orcs, trolls or soldiers. It was a knocked over stand. Apples were rolling away from the cart and one bumped my foot. That apple stand was the one Laineth and I had gone to the day I met her. The realization hit me full throttle like the arrow that pierced my shoulder that day at Amon Hen. It took any of the calm I managed to gather since watching Laineth's death and ripped it to pieces. I began to sob again. It seemed that no place was safe from her memory.

I had to leave, that was all that I could comprehend. My arms moved to place the arrow I was going to fire back into my quiver, and I ran away. Whether I was going up to the Citadel or down to the fifth level was a mystery to me. All I knew was that with every step I took, I was further away from that stand.

After I sprinted for Eru knows how long, I had no energy left at all. My legs were shaking - even as I stood still. I was planted on the spot for a few moments before the chaos around me became apparent once more. And the only reason it did was because I was pushed down onto my back by somebody frantically running the opposite direction. The only motivation I had to get up was that I would be trampled to death within minutes if I did not. Of course, death was the easy way out of the pain in my heart. But I could not do it - for my sisters and Boromir's sake.

I pulled myself into a secluded alleyway. It was well hidden from the streets, but if anybody with ill intentions came; I was doomed.

I crawled into the very back of the alley and pulled myself into a ball. My tears did not cease for hours. The pain of her death seemed never ending. It was so unbearable. Of course, I had lost before, but I was not forced to watch my father's death, whereas Laineth's death would not stop repeating itself in front of my eyelids like a tragic play. My father would still be my worst loss, but the fact that she was so young and died in such an awful way made it unforgettable. I was doomed to remember the stench of burning flesh, the way the sleeves of her blue dress turned into wings of fire and her screams, for help I could not give.

Night came faster than I had expected. The dark made all of the fires in the Citadel more apparent than I would have liked, but my alley covered most of the view. In fact, nobody had even come down towards me. All I saw was the occasional figure dart by. It was a comfort, though - knowing that Orcs were not on whatever level I happened to be on. I considered staying there until morning, but it was too great a risk. There was no doubt in my mind that I would fall asleep if I was not doing some activity. Crying would put me to sleep all too easily.

My distorted vision was not helping my attempt at standing, so I tumbled over my dress and onto the stone street. After my fall, I had little motivation to move again, and my eyelids closed. Slumber found me before I could force my body to stand once more.

I did not sleep through the night, however. Piercing shrieks were echoing all about Minas Tirith and they woke me hours before dawn. Groggily, I pushed myself off the street and wobbled towards the main street. But as soon as my view of the street was clear, I sprang back into the alleyway. Orcs had infested the entire level.

My mind could not even process another thought besides the fact that Orcs were running rampant so close to where I was. So my memories of Laineth remained locked away inside a vault, while I tried to figure out how to escape unscathed. It was extremely unlikely, but I could not just jump out of the alley and sprint free and clear up to the Citadel. I did not even have a clue what level I was on.

I scampered to the back of the alley and into the shadows, praying to the Valar that I was obscured from sight. My breathing was extremely rapid, so I was getting light headed from lack of air - I might as well have been holding my breath. The predicament I was in was like being condemned to death. People were screaming as Orcs chased them down the street. Watching the carnage made my heart race. Everything seemed so surreal. In fact, I thought I was just having another nightmare. It was not, though. This situation was so dire that it could not have been a figment of my imagination.

After a long while, I decided to peer out of my alley. There were Orcs, but it seemed like their numbers had decreased. Most likely traveling further up to the Citadel, which was a huge disadvantage for me. But I had to go there. Escaping the city would have been ideal, so nothing could trigger my memory, but I could not abandon Boromir. Not only that leaving during the battle would have been next to impossible.

As soon as I made an appearance outside of the alley, I forced my legs into a sprint. They were extremely stiff after being curled into a ball for several hours, but I ignored their protests. Staying alive was all that mattered. So I just continued to sprint in the direction of the Citadel, which was very far away from my position. I must have been on the first level! My realization frightened me, but I tried to ignore how far I actually was from safety and just continued to sprint. The less I thought about it, the quicker my journey would be.

The last time I was sprinting through the streets, the main danger was the people who shoved you onto the sidewalk and then trampled you. Now it was the amount of Orcs that plagued the streets. Knowing that it would be too advanced for me to sprint and take down Orcs with my bow at the same time, I took my dagger out of its sheath. I had the weapon from the beginning, up to my journey, up until then, it had become an extension of my arm during battles. It suited me more than my bow, although I would never say that to Legolas.

I dodged as many bodies as I could while I made my way up the Citadel, and I began thinking of my decision to come down here. It was incredibly stupid. In fact, I felt weak for doing it. I did not come out here to fight; I came to escape my memories. Believing I should make up for this mistake, I wanted to participate in the battle. The first thought that came to me was about my death, which drove me towards the Citadel; the second being my indecisiveness. My indecisiveness on the whole issue was out of my cowardice. It was my weakness and what separated me from my friends. Even Laineth had been braver than I. So finally, I decided to put a stop to it. I darted towards the men in silver armor.

From what I could tell, the entire Gondorian Army was next to the gate. I spotted banners from many places besides Minas Tirith - though, I did not know where from. All I knew was that they were not from Rohan.

But my main focus was not on the banners of men, it was on the countless Orcs flooding into the city. Within moments of my arrival, several launched themselves at me. They saw me as an easy target. Perhaps they were right, but I was not going to prove their point. I sliced one of the Orcs' jugulars open and stabbed the next one in the gut. I had become more than capable of keeping myself alive during my journey. My main issue with fighting the beasts was my dress. I found it almost impossible to move as quickly and agilely as possible with the skirts tripping me all the time. But I overcame the problem within moments. It was not on purpose, yet I was still somewhat grateful. Somehow during all of the mayhem, the cloth above me feet had been ripped off my dress.

After killing maybe nine or ten Orcs, they finally stopped charging at me as soon as they saw me. The pile of carcasses around me must have sent some sort of message to them. Though, they were not the smartest creatures to inhabit these lands. During the heat of the battle, my mind was completely absorbed in the fighting. It was the best therapy for my loss. My anger was being taken out on worthless Orcs. Unfortunately, my sorrow could not be. I continued to cry, though I was not sobbing. They were merely silent tears, but they still marred my vision. Thank the Valar I could still see in front of me. Although, the Orc population had increased so much that I could swing my dagger and most likely wound or kill one.

Unfortunately, the rhythm I had found during the battle was destroyed. I had two Orcs spring at me simultaneously and after managing to stab one, the other knocked me onto my back. I cried out in fear and pain and I stared at my assailant, knowing that my quiver was gone along with my dagger. There was no chance for his defeat. Terror had overtaken all of my senses, and my only solace was that I would die fighting to save what good was left in the world. In fact, I wondered if I would go to the Halls of Mandos with my father or into the great unknown with Laineth. I had completely abandoned my immortality when I allowed Malgelir to bed me, so I would join Laineth. It seemed more appropriate that I could be with her and, hopefully much later, Boromir. I would miss my sisters and father, though.

My acceptance of death had happened in an instant, but was not needed. Just as the Orc began his attempt to pierce my abdomen with his sword, another sword sliced his head clean off his shoulders. I glanced at my savior, and when I discovered who it was, wished I had not.

Boromir looked completely shocked by my presence. I attempted to ignore him and jumped to my feet. The last thing I needed was to begin sobbing again. My emotional state was fragile enough. Unfortunately, he was completely unaware of what had happened to me and was determined to figure out why I was there. He grabbed my arm, which was drenched in orc blood, and asked me, "Why are you here? I told you to stay in the Citadel!"

My heart raced. I could not tell him the truth. He _needed _to focus on the battle. So I turned to hostility to try and drive him away. "Why do you care?" I snapped.

Boromir did not answer me. Instead, he turned around and cut down the Orcs in between us and a secluded alley. He pulled me in quickly, causing me to stumble over my dress. The worst part of the situation was that I found my resolve not to sob disappearing quickly.

"Do you really not know?" he demanded.

My tears were freely flowing now, and I honestly could not believe that he was trying to have that conversation then. In the middle of a battle and after Laineth had died. Of course, he was still uninformed of the latter. But my fear of our feelings was getting the better of me. I was completely content with living my life with my sisters and watching them grow and get married; any other person was an intrusion. But Boromir was special, and I felt so unworthy to be loved by him. I was unworthy.

"No. No, no, no, no… No!" I protested. Knowing that we had feelings for one another was one thing, but confessing them was unthinkable in my mind.

Boromir's grey eyes shone with such pain that made my heart sink to my stomach. "You… you do not return my feelings…" he stated almost inaudibly.

My thoughts for replying were nonexistent, for I was weeping. Laineth was right. I had always known it, but I ignored it. And now she would never know that she was and got to say 'I told you so'. It was too much to think about.

"M-must we s-speak of this n-now?" I sobbed almost incoherently.

Boromir glanced outside the alley, checking to see what was occurring outside. I knew that he was incapable of abandoning his men in their time of need. And that was what I loved. He was the strongest, most loyal and courageous man I had ever met. No matter the cost, he would protect Gondor. His devotion to his country and his need to have the conversation at that moment caused a tear inside him.

"Go," I ordered him with as much authority that I could muster. It was not much at all, but it was enough to cause him so much pain that he would go back to the battle. That was the second time I had told him to leave me alone, and I did not even deny his first statement. The first time had ended in such a disaster that I knew this time would be no different. If it was possible, the pain I was feeling over Laineth's death amplified tenfold. I always pushed him away.

I wept in the alley for only a minute or two before I heard a deafening screech. The Lord of the Nazgûl was in the city. It terrified me, but not enough to snap me out of my suicidal state. Instead of running away like everybody, my feet became one with the ground. Hoping he would destroy me, I just stood there.

Before he could smite anyone, however, Gandalf stood against the evil creature. "You cannot enter here!" he told the black figure. The Lord of the Nazgûl stopped his entrance into Minas Tirith. "Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!" Gandalf commanded him.

The Fell Beast the Witch King was atop stood frozen while his master threw back his hood. I was absolutely petrified by the sight. Gandalf is doomed, I thought. The situation was far worse than when he was faced with the Balrog on the bridge of Khazad-Dum. No one was capable of defeating the Lord of the Nazgûl. Not even Gandalf. And the sight underneath his hood was further proof of how utterly horrifying the monster was. He literally had no face. Invisible, he was. The only thing visible was a large crown that sat on his head and the glowing red eyes that were scrutinizing Gandalf.

"Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!" he cursed Gandalf. Accepting the wizard's challenge, the Witch Kind raised his sword. As soon as it was above his head, it burst into flames. Gandalf seemed unfazed by him and stayed firmly planted at the gate.

Then dawn broke and several horns called in reply. The Witch King turned his attention away from Gandalf and the Fell beast went back to Pelennor. He knew as well as I where the horns were from - Rohan had arrived at last.

**A/N: Hey! Okay, I worked on this one a lot, so reviews are much appreciated. Thanks to my amazing beta, Lady Demiya. Keep her in your prayers because where she is flooding majorly right now! I'm super grateful she was able to edit this with all those things going on. Thanks to everyone who put me on alert and favorited! Shout outs for reviewers!**

**Elvenprincess3019: I know, it was hard killing her... But it had to be done. Believe me I was so depressed after I wrote that chapter lol. Thanks for the review!**

**SweetMerry: Thanks so much! Hope this update was soon enough!**

**I'm always tempted to update sooner with more reviews :D **


End file.
